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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26867194">What Neighbors Are For</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodapeach/pseuds/wjmoon'>wjmoon (sodapeach)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>X1 (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>2seung i’m so sorry, 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Cameos for days, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, no beta we die like men, not even frankenstein could face his own creation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:02:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>36,520</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26867194</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodapeach/pseuds/wjmoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wooseok was minding his own business at the grocery store when his ex showed up, and a moment of panic and a huge misunderstanding led Seungwoo to believe that Wooseok’s nice neighbor was his boyfriend.</p><div class="center">
  <p>or</p>
</div><p>The five times that Wooseok pretended that Seungyoun was his boyfriend, and the one time he didn’t have to.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Kim Wooseok | Wooshin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>213</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Flower Born From Fire Fic Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>What Neighbors Are For</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wish I could explain myself.</p><p>  <em>Prompt #055: Wooseok's ex has a new partner, and in a moment of panic, his neighbour Seungyoun becomes his "boyfriend". Fake dating shenanigans ensue.</em></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Wooseok first met Seungyoun, the idea of him being his boyfriend might have occurred in the most harmless way possible. It was a fleeting thought, not even a fantasy in full bloom. It was the odd crush on a waiter at a new cafe or the stray daydream in the back of a classroom about someone he saw standing by the lockers once. It was something that had happened thousands of times with different people he could never place twice. However, with Seungyoun, it seemed to snowball into something much bigger than anything he had ever let himself believe was actually possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok woke up annoyingly early on his day off, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t make himself fall back asleep, but he knew that if he spent the whole morning in bed with his eyes shut while </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> sleeping, he was going to feel like garbage for the rest of the day. So he got up at an unkind hour while the sun still hung low on the horizon and dragged himself into the kitchen for his first cup of coffee. It was bitter and singed the tip of his tongue, but he was impatient. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything about that morning had some air of impatience to it, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. What was he in such a hurry for? He didn’t have anything to do. No one waited for him. He didn’t have plans. And yet there was a certain sense of anticipation lingering in his stomach that made him restless like something big was going to happen later. It was the feeling one got before going on stage for the school talent show or on the way to a job interview he knew he wasn’t qualified for. It was strange, but he knew the feeling well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To see if he could figure out why, he made a list of all the things he was supposed to do that day in case he was forgetting something important. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Number One: rest. Wooseok looked down at his pajama bottoms and frowned. Surely not wearing outside pants counted as resting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Number Two: clean out the fridge. He scrunched his nose. His mom had asked him to get rid of all the spoiled food for her so she could drop by and switch the containers out, but did he really need more food? Couldn’t he just eat the funky stuff and build up his immunity? Perhaps that one could wait. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Number Three: finish the series he’d been putting off for months so he could finally discuss the ending with Yohan. Although the younger did an impeccable job of keeping his spoilers to himself, every time he saw him, the poor boy was practically bursting at the seams, small bubbles of saliva forming in the corners of his mouth as he held back the urge to ruin the whole show just so he could talk about it. Maybe Wooseok could bump that up to number two just to be a good friend of course. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Number Four: eyebrow maintenance. He winced, the sensation of a phantom pluck sending a sharp pain between his eyes. That one could wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Number Five…. he tapped his finger against his cheek as he thought about what number five could have been. He was sure he wouldn’t have scheduled too much for himself on his day off and risk making it feel more laborious than his actual job, but he couldn’t help but feel like there was one more task he had forgotten about. It wasn’t only a gut feeling, really, because Wooseok always scheduled his tasks in fives because that was what Apink wanted him to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took another sip of his coffee as he thought, and that’s when the stray envelope on the counter caught his eye. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah! </span>
  </em>
  <span>He was supposed to go check his mail! Now normally this was a task that he dreaded, but with his birthday coming up, there was a chance that there would be cards from relatives too far away or too busy to visit, and when there were cards, often money came with them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a much better mood, he hurried to his ceramic bowl on the counter and dug out the tiny little key to his mailbox that was hidden at the bottom under a pile of loose change.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ddadda, daddy’s going to go get the mail,” he called out to his dog who was probably still asleep on one of his old sweatshirts. “Don’t pee on the sofa while I’m gone!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rushed out the door still in his pajamas, focused on the money that waited for him, but as he practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>sprinted </span>
  </em>
  <span>into the mailroom, his attention was caught by something else entirely. Or someone, rather.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of the other residents was already there sorting through his own pile of envelopes. He cradled them all in his arms like Adele at the Grammys with his tongue wedged between his teeth in concentration. It seemed that he was someone who also neglected checking his own mail until he absolutely had to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily he was too focused on his bundle to notice Wooseok openly staring at him, but how could Wooseok not stare? The sleeves of his black oversized hoodie were pushed up to reveal a pair of veiny arms decorated with tattoos. Silver chains dangled from his ears, and a pair of round framed glasses balanced dangerously on the tip of his nose over a soft pout. Everything about him was round and sharp at the same time, and the more Wooseok looked, the more he saw he liked. If Wooseok had a type…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh sorry, am I in your way,” the stranger asked, finally noticing him. He jumped in surprise, knocking some of the mail out of his hand. A gust from the industrial fan left there year round to hide the fact that the air conditioning had been broken since before Wooseok moved in blew one of the envelopes to Wooseok’s feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok bent down to retrieve it and saw that it was addressed to a Cho Seungyoun, presumably the tall drink of water that Wooseok had been staring at, but as he looked down, he noticed that he was still in his pajamas. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Whoops.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no, not at all,” Wooseok insisted. He handed the person he was sure was probably Seungyoun the envelope. He swallowed and turned towards the mailboxes with an anxious lump in his throat. He could feel the stranger’s eyes linger on him as he moved as though he expected something from him. An explanation? He wasn’t getting one. An introduction? Doubtful. But Wooseok felt like he was supposed to say something now that the attention was on him, and it might have been rude not to. “Early morning?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a boring thing to ask, casual small talk really, and it wouldn’t have been something that would have made his stomach twist if he hadn’t said it so </span>
  <em>
    <span>quietly</span>
  </em>
  <span> and timidly that the noise from the fan swallowed his voice up like a buzzing fly. He was used to not being heard sometimes when he spoke, but this was ridiculous. He was supposed to come off as nonchalant, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>mousy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just getting in actually,” he said cheerfully. Wooseok’s heart jumped in surprise. He heard him? This guy must have had supersonic hearing because there was no way he would have been able to over the fan when Wooseok had muttered so pathetically. Seungyoun closed the mailbox door with a metallic twang and twisted the key back into the lock until he was able to wiggle itself out. “Have a good day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sleep well,” Wooseok tried, now even more curious about his new neighbor with the tattoos and the bionic hearing and the weird schedule.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun glanced at Wooseok’s pajama bottoms and smiled. Wooseok felt himself flush. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> should have considered throwing on his outside pants if he was going to meet his dream guy that suddenly. “I’ll do my best.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok chuckled nervously and turned back to his locker, wedging his hands inside like he wanted to crawl in with his mail. Once Seungyoun was gone, he felt his knees buckle beneath him. He made a complete fool of himself! In front of someone who could have very well been his soulmate! Okay, that was a stretch, but still he would have been a very nice contender if Wooseok hadn’t literally stood there in the doorward like the full body emoji in his pajamas muttering about this guy’s schedule that was absolutely none of his business.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Early morning,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he mocked himself. “God, I’m annoying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he </span>
  <em>
    <span>heard </span>
  </em>
  <span>him. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>smiled </span>
  </em>
  <span>at him. Clearly there was something there! Wooseok was sure of it. This was a budding romance for the ages, and no one had been around to see it. Surely that was for the best though because it only would have only made the witness jealous that they couldn’t have it for themselves. It was a perfect first meeting, in his opinion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why didn’t he ask him out?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok pouted. Maybe he was shy, and Wooseok had intimidated him with his dashing… pajamas, unplucked eyebrows and coffee breath. Wooseok pressed his forehead against his mailbox and groaned. He hadn’t had a boyfriend in ages because of his work schedule and… other reasons…, and when he finally had his opportunity to find true love, he blew it over a few birthday cards and a bank statement.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Birthday cards.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s mood immediately improved the second he felt the weight of them in his hands. By the girth alone, he knew they had money in them, and he didn’t need a boyfriend if he had money.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that didn’t stop him from thinking about using his birthday monday on a date with Seungyoun. Where would they go, he wondered. His newly discovered neighbor was already so mysterious, he had no way to guess what kind of dates they would even both like to try. Was Seungyoun a museum or a theme park kind of guy? And what was Wooseok? He had changed over the last couple of years. Maybe Wooseok would be the kind of boyfriend who liked to sit at a coffee shop and hold hands in a sickeningly cute way even if the cafe was packed with people who were better off not seeing how stupidly in love he was. He sighed. It would have been nice to have feelings again, he thought. But just imagining that he did and having a face to attach them to for a couple hours was good enough for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>ONE</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first time Wooseok pretended that Seungyoun was his boyfriend was not one of his finer moments. If their meeting earlier that morning innocently planted the idea in his head, later that evening he faced the full harvest, and if it had been anyone else but that very same man clumsily sorting through his mail, it might have been the biggest mistake of his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he got back to his apartment, he still wore the same stupid smile on his face that appeared as soon as Seungyoun was out of the room long enough to not see him turn into a helpless little schoolboy. The buzz of a fleeting and harmless crush carried him home, and it must have made him look completely out of his mind based on how much his dog jumped up against his leg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dropped his mail on the counter except for the birthday cards and scooped Ddadda up with his free arm. The little dog’s legs wiggled helpless in the air as he carried him to the couch, dropping him down onto the cushion before taking his seat. Ddadda twirled around in the seat in excitement, skirting his little paws over the fibers while Wooseok got comfortable. Wooseok leaned down to give him a kiss before opening the envelope.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first card was deceptively thick. Wooseok assumed that it was filled to the brim with money, but instead it was just one of those greeting cards that played music when it was opened. Celebrate good times, come on. He tried his best to hide his disappointment. He failed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second card however was from a distant aunt who didn’t have any children of her own and loved to spoil anyone in the family that she could, and the sweet lady had sent enough to cover groceries for the week as well as some extra treats for Ddadda. Wooseok almost cheered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though he had a rule about only scheduling five tasks a day, he supposed he could put off his eyebrows for later. The cutest guy in the world already saw him as he was, pajamas and all. What did he care what anyone else thought?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the day was spent watching a show and scratching his dog behind the ears. After roughly eight episodes, he realized that as dinner approached, he’d actually need to go to the store unless he wanted to order something and spend his birthday money on chicken feet. Yes, it was a deserving meal for a king, but he couldn’t share it with Ddadda and risk him choking on the little bones. Nope, he had to get off his ass and go shopping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shuffled into his room and changed into some outside clothes, giving himself a quick glance in the mirror. He thought for a moment that he should try to fancy things up just in case he ran into someone he knew, but what were the odds of that happening? None of his friends lived in the neighborhood, and it’s not like he would have had to throw on a suit and tie for Jinhyuk or someone anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun on the other hand… Wooseok smiled to himself and shook the warmth from his cheeks. His heart raced at the thought of running into him in the chip aisle, reaching for the same jar of onion dip until their fingers brushed together like it was fate. No, that wasn’t going to happen. He couldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>lucky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, looking averagely presentable at best to go buy ramen and dog food was definitely the way to go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The grocery store Wooseok liked to use wasn’t grand enough to be called a supermarket, but it wasn’t a little corner store either. It was walking distance from his apartment building as long as he didn’t buy too much, but sometimes some of the people who worked there insisted on giving him extra fruit because they liked his face. Extra grapes he could work with. Now extra watermelons on the other hand…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure what was in season, but as he grabbed his cardigan and slung it over himself, he decided that it was best if he looked a little shabby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The temperature outside hadn’t really dropped yet, but the evening chill creeped in past his clothes down to his skin and made him shiver. The city had that late day smell, slightly metallic and empty the way it was whenever the weather was cool. It made him prickle with nerves or excitement. It was the kind of feeling that went with an evening dinner with friends at a place too nice for them or standing around outside after a school play with all of the other students and their families huddled into groups. It felt like fall. It felt like his favorite time of the year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hurried down the street with this new excitement that came from the perfect evening weather and completely ignored the part of his brain that told him it would be nice weather for hand holding. He also ignored the fact that there was someone whose hand he wanted to hold while he walked to the grocery store to get his ramen and dog treats. It was a nice thought, though. As fleeting as it was, it made him feel good, and it was harmless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So harmless, in fact, that Wooseok’s daydream might as well have lifted him up in the air and carried him to the store like he was floating on a cloud because the next thing he knew he was standing a little disoriented and out of place with a bag of pretzels in his arms in the chip aisle. He looked around and didn’t see anyone else in the store so surely he hadn’t shoved anyone out of the way while he was lost in his own thoughts. Surely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A little ashamed of himself, he wandered off and found the aisle he was supposed to go to in the first place. He grabbed a pack of his favorite flavor of ramen and tucked it under his arm between his chest and the pretzels. Then he walked over to the dog food section to see what kind of treats they had for sale. Even though he ordered Ddadda’s food from an online store, he liked to buy treats in person so that they wouldn’t go bad sitting on his shelf for too long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scanned the shelves, twisting his mouth in thought. They had little green snacks shaped like bones to freshen bad breath, but Ddadda didn’t have that problem. They had whole hog bones too, but the thought of the marrow dripping out onto his floor made his stomach churn. He settled on a bag of doggie chews that were little crunchy squares with chewy chicken centers, but before he grabbed it off the shelf, he noticed a bag of pork belly flavored chews next to it and went for that instead. Of course he had to get something fancy for Ddadda. It was his birthday money after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok made a point to shop for only what he could carry in his arms if he didn’t have any reusable bags with him so that he wouldn’t have a hard time getting home, and with the surprise bag of pretzels he was too embarrassed to put back, the dog treats and the ramen were all he could manage. The store wasn’t far though. He could come back. And with the weather as nice as it was, he kind of looked forward to it. As he left, he made what he thought was a beeline for the register, but in reality, he made a beeline straight towards disaster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wooseok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice struck him to the core like a gong, rattling him enough that the bags in his arms trembled. He didn’t have to turn back to know his face. Soft spoken at first, tall, soft hair hanging in his face, all angles but soft on the inside. It could have only been one person, and it was the one person he never wanted to see again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned carefully to see Seungwoo standing behind him empty handed and startled like he had seen a ghost. That wasn’t his right. Wooseok was the only one there allowed to be startled. This was his grocery store.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing Seungwoo in person brought back a world of memories that he had pushed back somewhere behind high school math and getting his wisdom teeth pulled. They met during the first year of university. He was his first love, and after they decided to part ways, Wooseok worried he would be his last, but then after a while he didn’t miss Seungwoo anymore. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>missed </span>
  </em>
  <span>him, but he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>miss </span>
  </em>
  <span>him. He missed the weird friend he lost when they made the mistake of dating, but that was it. He hated that he had to say goodbye to that person, and he hated the fact that he said goodbye way before he ever realized it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there Seungwoo was, and he wasn’t sure which person stared back at him. Wooseok just had to say hello to find out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here,” he blurted out. It wasn’t the first thing he wanted to say. He wanted to start out with a polite greeting or even in his name, but his mouth cut to the chase. What </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> he doing there?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Seungwoo laughed awkwardly, flustered by the question. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s buying groceries, stupid. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I’m just picking up some stuff for dinner on my way from work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, of course,” Wooseok waved. Of course he was. This was a public place. Although it was on the wrong side of town. “Isn’t this a little far for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Yeah, my fiancé lives nearby,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fiancé. The word hit him like a second, louder gong that made his knees buckle in shock. It wasn’t that Wooseok hadn’t moved on, but he never expected that Seungwoo would have so fast. Not like this. Not completely and all at once. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fiancé,” Wooseok croaked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I was gonna call you and tell you the good news, but I didn’t know if that would be weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, no, totally,” he said, and when Seungwoo’s face dropped, he continued. “I mean you don’t have to keep me updated on your life, that would take so much time. I’m just really happy to hear that you’re happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He meant it. He really did. The sickness in his stomach wasn’t at all related to Seungwoo’s newfound happiness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you,” he asked. “I’m sure you’re seeing someone by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>By now. Has it been so long? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, of course,” Wooseok laughed, the lie slipping out too easily. He had to keep a brave face at least until he got home, and as long as he didn’t say anything else stupid for the next ten minutes, it was going to be fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Seungwoo’s eyes widened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he’s somewhere around here actually!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something like that probably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok only had a few seconds to convince himself that he wasn’t lying. Did </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span> mean on the earthly plain within just a few short steps on a cosmic level? Or did it mean that his boyfriend that he did not actually have was somewhere around the neighborhood and could show up at any given moment? Or did Wooseok’s useless mouth mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span> as in inside the building where it seemed that he and his ex-boyfriend he had just lied to were the only conceivable people in the entire store.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so!” Wooseok squeaked. He bit down on his bottom lip enough to tear the skin, holding his bag of pretzels to his chest for comfort as he turned away to look for an answer. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tell him he went home to check on Ddadda. Wait no, then Seungwoo might want to meet my dog, and then he’ll know I’m a loser. Not for having Dddadda, but because I lied about having a boyfriend. Wait, I can just say he must have gone out to run to the store. Wait, </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>at the store!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that must be him,” Seungwoo said on his own which was much more alarming than having his name called out earlier. Wooseok followed his gaze to the other side of the store next to the meat department. First he saw the shopping cart, filled about half way with way more food than Wooseok would have ever bought at once, and then he saw the person it belonged to, scanning a package of what looked like cut up pieces of raw chicken. Wooseok’s stomach jumped up in his throat as he scanned him from the feet up, too afraid to look at his face. Worn sandals, baggy khaki pants, black hoodie with the sleeves pushed up, and soft black hair that Wooseok wanted to tangle his fingers in. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“He’s cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah he is,” Wooseok said with a dry throat. “I mean, no, he–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Seungwoo was already headed towards him with a big friendly samoyed smile on his face because of course he was. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungwoo wanted to greet Wooseok’s boyfriend because he was a nice guy who was never not friendly and welcoming, but the problem was that Seungyoun was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wooseok’s boyfriend. He wasn’t even sure Seungyoun was his name or if it was his roommate’s. Wooseok’s mouth opened to call out to stop him, but then Seungyoun noticed them because </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course he did</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and there was no way Wooseok was getting out of this. Humiliation awaited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, I’m Seungwoo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was it. Wooseok was done for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun looked at them both in surprise. He set his pack of chicken down in the cart and wiped his hands on his pants. “Hey there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited for an explanation, but Wooseok could not give him one. Seungwoo on the other hand had no problem helping out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You must be Wooseok’s new boyfriend,” he said cheerfully. “It’s so nice to meet you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s eyes widened in horror, and his mouth drew back in a painful grimace. This was it. This was the worst day of his life, and he was sure he would never survive it. He didn’t know if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to survive it. Seungyoun glanced at him, catching his reaction just out of Seungwoo’s field of view and his face twitched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, nice to meet you too,” he said, mirroring Seungwoo’s tone. “I’ve heard so much about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok froze. The only thing he could do was blink rapidly while his brain caught up to what had just happened. Did Seungyoun just do what he thought he did?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked back at Wooseok fondly. “Just the bad stuff right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What? No!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wooseok sang, finally catching up to the party. “Just some old stories here and there from college. You know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of a plastic ruffling pulled Wooseok out of his shtick as his precious bag of security pretzels were pulled out of his arms. He almost swung at the thief, but then he realized Seungyoun was taking his things out of his arms to drop them in his… </span>
  <em>
    <span>their… </span>
  </em>
  <span>cart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen, I’ve gotta get going before my fiancé thinks I’ve been kidnapped, but now that I’ve seen you, I feel like we should all go out for dinner next Friday to catch up. My treat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no, that’s okay, Seungyoun’s schedule is really–,” Wooseok tried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, sounds great,” his neighbor smiled. “We should get going too, right Wooseok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” he squeaked and turned to Seungwoo, following Seungyoun’s lead. “See you later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll text you about it,” Seungwoo said as he left, and the second they were out of sight, Wooseok sank down onto the floor, squatting to catch his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” he whispered. His hands went to his head as everything came over him at once. “What did I just do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun squatted down with him and patted his shoulder. “There, there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I don’t know why that happened. Oh god, I’m so stupid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just an innocent bystander here, but did you just  tell your ex boyfriend that you and I were dating?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok whimpered in pain and shook his head. “Not exactly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He came to that conclusion all by himself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you don’t have a boyfriend,” he mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welp, glad to help, I guess,” he said, standing back up. He reached down to help Wooseok up to his feet who still couldn’t face him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for not busting me…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no problem,” he said, and by the kind look on his face, it seemed like he meant it. “What are neighbors for, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Wooseok laughed. “If you ever need your plants watered or someone to bring to a wedding, I’m always upstairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. Wooseok felt his face flush, but he was sure that was because of the fiasco only a few minutes ago and not from the way that Seungyoun looked at him. That was probably how he looked at everyone, but Wooseok couldn’t help but feel unnerved by it. “Welp, it was good seeing you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You too,” Seungyoun said. Wooseok spun on his heel to get out of there as fast as he could. He wanted to run to the safety of his apartment and never come out again except to walk Ddadda, but if he had to, he would order a little doggie treadmill and teach him how to use the toilet. “Oh, Wooseok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Wooseok froze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You forgot your dog treats,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Thanks!” He hurried back to the cart and grabbed the treats, his pack of ramen, and his pretzels with another quick goodbye and a thanks for saving him before he scurried off to the register to pay. He pulled out his birthday money and scowled. This was not the celebration he had in mind. Next time he’d drop it all on delivery like a normal person where nothing humiliating could happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>TWO</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second time Wooseok pretended that Seungyoun was his boyfriend was more or less a negotiation. It was the first time terms were clearly laid out on the table as well as conditions and expectations. It was a decision made between them both with no room for surprises or accidental screw ups. And it was the first time both parties knew what they were getting into, or so they thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Several days passed since the incident at the grocery store, and Wooseok had coped by rolling around on his apartment floor until he had formed tiny little bruises over his legs. With no one he could process his thoughts to because he couldn’t risk it getting back to Seungwoo, he spent most of the time </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>rolling around telling Ddadda all about it, who would never betray him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually the memory that set his whole body ablaze fizzled out into something more manageable. Maybe one day even something he could laugh at, but he thought he would probably have to wait until he was left alone in a nursing home for that day to come.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But just when he thought he had finally moved on and that he had made peace with it, fate had other ideas. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok was back on his sofa with Ddadda in his lap watching an old episode of Knowing Bros when his phone buzzed against his leg. He looked at the screen, and felt a nasty tingle travel up his spine. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seungwoo.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo wasn’t the kind of person who filled him with a sense of dread. Sure they hadn’t spoken in ages because of the awkwardness of a breakup, but they were really on good terms, but the reason Wooseok’s body sank into the couch was from the message below his name.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We still on for tomorrow at 7? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. He forgot all about their “dinner plans” with his “boyfriend,” his ex boyfriend, and his fiancé. Why did Seungwoo have to be serious about that? Why couldn’t he have been like normal people who made fake plans just to be polite? </span>
  <em>
    <span>We should have dinner sometime! </span>
  </em>
  <span>A normal person would have meant </span>
  <em>
    <span>let’s not hang out, but I like you enough to be nice. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But Seungwoo was not normal. He was actually nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Wooseok knew someone else who was not normal and who was actually nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ddadda, I think I have to ask my neighbor to be my boyfriend.” His dog looked at him curiously, and Wooseok gave him a kiss. “Uncle Snoopy is ruining my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sure let me make sure we can make it!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>After Wooseok sent the message, he realized he could have lied. He had the perfect opportunity to tell Seungwoo that Seungyoun was out of town or that one of them had gotten sick, but then he ran the risk of Seungwoo dropping by with a bag of medicine like Florence Nightingale, and although Wooseok didn’t know the guy, for Seungwoo to have found someone he wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>marry</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he was probably just as insufferably sweet and doting as he was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, it was better that he didn’t lie again. Well, it was best that his </span>
  <em>
    <span>only </span>
  </em>
  <span>lie was that he was dating Seungyoun (and in his defense, Seungwoo did come to that conclusion all on his own).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok headed out the door without bothering to spruce himself up. Seungyoun had already seen him at his worst, and this time he didn’t mean in his pajamas with his unruly eyebrows. There wasn’t a point in trying to impress him. This was business after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know where he lived, but there was a call box outside with last names attached to buttons, and although there were about a dozen Kims in the building, there was only one Cho. He walked up to the third floor and found Seungyoun’s apartment. It was in the middle of the afternoon, so there was no way to tell if he was there or not with his weird schedule, but Wooseok had to try.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knocked firmly and a few moments later, Seungyoun was there in just a pair of pajama bottoms that looked just like his, no shirt, and a puffy face belonging to someone who just woke up from a very good nap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning,” he mumbled, rubbing his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, god, did I wake you?” Wooseok asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s fine,” he said. “Do you need something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a favor to ask.” His eyes traveled down to the gun tattoo on Seungyoun’s hip, and he thought that he had made a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>big mistake. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my god.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come in,” he said, his voice still hoarse. He stepped aside for Wooseok who followed him into the apartment even though he had just told himself this was a bad idea. Being polite had consequences. “Just give me a second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok lingered near the door ready to bolt if anything weird happened, but the big L shaped couch looked like a nice place to stretch out on. The whole apartment looked like a nice place to relax actually, upon further inspection. The furniture was all leather but not in a way that looked like it was a place from a porno casting video. Most of the lighting had been replaced with blue and purple colored strips that fed around the edges of the ceiling. It was like a nightclub without all the people squished together or the sticky floors. A mysterious neighbor, indeed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Wooseok studied the place, Seungyoun returned pulling a shirt over his head. “Sorry about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s your apartment,” he said. “Sorry for not giving you a heads up I was coming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would have been hard to,” Seungyoun laughed. “How did you know where I live anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok flushed in shame. “The buzzer outside. I’m not creepy, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that was smart,” he considered. “I think I would have just knocked on all the doors.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What would you have done if it wasn’t me?” Wooseok laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Become the biggest nuisance in the building, I guess. Now what was that favor you needed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Wooseok backed up against a table. He twisted his hands together anxiously as he gathered the courage to ask him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need money,” he tried, his eyes shifting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Wooseok stepped forward, waving his hands. “Nothing like that! Oh god, that would be too much. I just wanted to ask if you could be my fake boyfriend for real this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Wooseok didn’t know any better, he would have been sure he saw Seungyoun’s cheeks flush. To be fair though, he did just blurt it out without much of a warning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean it’s cool if you say no it’s just you know he asked, and now I’m kind of–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Screwed,” he said. “Yeah, I got that at the grocery store.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok winced. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. To be fair I only said I had a boyfriend nearby, I never said that you were in the store, and how was I supposed to know you were the </span>
  <em>
    <span>only</span>
  </em>
  <span> other person in the store other than me and him? He’s the one who got ahead of himself, not me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay,” he laughed. “I’m sure you didn’t tell people we’re dating all on your own, I believe you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Wooseok sighed in relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But now you are,” Seungyoun pointed out, and Wooseok wasn’t sure he liked the Cheshire Cat smile that came with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little bit,” he admitted quietly. “But I’d pay you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun tilted his head in thought, throwing in a little drama for Wooseok’s benefit. “I’m not a cheap date, you know. I like to be wined and dined.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you get me through this dinner with my ex and his fiancé, I’ll give you my whole paycheck,” Wooseok blurted out. He already basically lived off of ramen. As long as Ddadda had food, he could live like a pauper for a month.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He expected a painful negotiation, but instead he got a loud, delighted laugh. “That’s too much. Don’t act like you’d need to take out a loan for someone to want to go out with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m desperate here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not necessary,” Seungyoun said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about a hundred then? Is that reasonable enough?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re lowering your offer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said it was too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what’s the problem?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun looked at him for a moment, and then blinked a thought away. Wooseok was about to ask him what he was going to say, but then he continued. “That’ll be good. It’s tomorrow, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Wooseok said. “Fancy place, probably.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I have to wear a tie,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so,” Wooseok said, just as amused. “But you’re the one who likes to be wined and dined.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok held back a smile as he rolled his eyes. “No tie needed, I’m sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine by me,” he said. “What time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said 7.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun sucked his teeth. “Oh, man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I may get called into work at some point, but I’m not sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok blanched. “Oh right, you do night stuff. You know what, it’s okay if you’re busy, I’ll just tell him that you’re working, it’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! It’s probably alright; they might not even need me until later,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, totally! It’s not likely, but I wanted to give you a heads up since, you know, it would be rude not to. Meet you out front then so we can go together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Wooseok swallowed. “Sounds good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their negotiation went better than expected, and assuming that Seungyoun wasn’t actually the devil, he imagined that their date would go just as well. Hopefully, Wooseok could steer the conversation towards the happy couple so that they wouldn’t ask too many dangerous questions, but still, he couldn’t help but think that he should have left Seungyoun with a list of talking points.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next day he put on a set of his nicer clothes, a little gel to twist his bangs out of his face, and a dash of cologne on his neck. So what if it wasn’t a real date? Only he and Seungyoun needed to know that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He headed downstairs and wondered if he had enough for a taxi to get them to the restaurant. He couldn’t make Seungyoun pay for it since this was Wooseok’s get out of jail scheme, but he wasn’t fond of forking out taxi money either. When he got downstairs, Seungyoun was already waiting for him in a pair of black slacks and a white button up shirt that fit him too well to be fair. His hair was combed out of his face, and he looked like a model straight out of a luxury watch campaign. The fact that he wasn’t his real boyfriend was a sick joke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready to go?” Seungyoun asked, looking more like himself when he spoke. Softer and friendly and someone willing to lie to save two people from humiliation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, should we call a cab?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No need,” he said. He raised his hand to reveal a pair of car keys dangling from his finger and gave them a quick jingle. Seungyoun turned and walked towards the parking garage, and Wooseok followed him, relieved that they wouldn’t be late, but this was an unexpected surprise considering that he didn’t mention it when they agreed to meet. He had a car? Impressive and more surprising. He ignored the fact that he put so much trust in someone he barely knew, but so far, Seungyoun hadn’t done anything to warrant suspicion. He was just a mystery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The car garage was significantly cooler than the air outside, all concrete and steel and hidden away from the reach of the sun that already sank low in the sky. The shift reminded him of his fanciful walk to the store where he thought it was hand holding weather, and a pang reminded him of who he had let himself foolishly imagine walking with. He glanced over at Seungyoun, tall and lost in a thought Wooseok couldn’t see. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for doing this with me,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no problem,” he smiled at him and scrunched his nose. “I can’t say this isn’t the most amusing thing I’ve done in weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In weeks?” Wooseok asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure I did something interesting this summer,” he considered. “But now that I think about it, this probably tops that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m flattered,” he said flatly, earning a pleased giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just say I’m invested,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you are, I’m paying you,” Wooseok muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun laughed even more brightly. “Alright, smarty pants, we’re here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lifted his arm up and hit the unlock button on his keychain, and a car a few spaces away flashed its lights. Wooseok didn’t know a lot about cars, but when he saw the logo on the front, his throat went dry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a Mercedes?” Wooseok almost screeched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s my mom’s,” he said casually. “I’m just using it for a few weeks so the battery doesn’t go bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked down at himself and swallowed. Was he underdressed? Should he have tried harder? Why was Seungyoun torturing him with his fancy car and his long legs?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You coming?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said, but his feet remained planted on the ground. What was he so afraid of? It was just an expensive car. It wasn’t like it was going to bite him. Seungyoun stared at him, standing behind the open drivers’ side door with a confused look on his face, and Wooseok wished he could have moved, but his legs were busy becoming one with the concrete. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said. He shut the door and walked around to the passenger side and opened it for him. “Here you go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s face burned hot, and he finally found the motivation to move. “Oh wait, that’s not–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a little early to be putting on a show, but I don’t mind,” he sighed. Wooseok gave him an apologetic look and slid past him into the seat, muttering a small thanks as he closed the door for him. He slumped back in the seat and banged his head against the headrest. Seungyoun slipped in on the other side and laughed at him. “I’m just kidding, I know it’s weird. Would it help if I said my uncle is a Mercedes dealer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, my uncle is a Mercedes dealer,” Seungyoun said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun gave him a look and a faint smile but didn’t answer the question. He cranked the car up and pulled them out of the parking spot, and that’s when Wooseok’s nerves fully hit. Honestly, he didn’t want to know what Seungyoun’s uncle did because he was too busy worrying about what he was going to do for the rest of the night. Or his life, depending on the outcome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How long were he and Seungyoun supposed to do this? How was he supposed to break the news that they broke up? What if they didn’t make it through the night without getting exposed for lying? And lying! Wooseok had never been a liar in his life, but there he was, wilfully deceiving Seungwoo even if it was mostly so that Seungwoo wouldn’t have to come to terms with the fact that he waltzed up and introduced himself to stranger who was only there to buy a pack of chicken and some cornflakes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we should get to know each other a little better,” Wooseok said. “You know so we don’t–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna get our stories straight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he swallowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good idea,” he said. “What do you do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I work at a bank.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A teller?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok shook his head although he couldn’t see it. “I help people set up accounts. Lots of paperwork, not a lot of money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get your own office?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he said. “It’s nice. Big wooden desk, makes me feel like the godfather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun laughed. “I can see that. Is it decorated or just standard business?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok hummed in thought. “I have a picture of me and my mom on my desk, and one of my friends got me a mousepad with Ddadda on it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ddadda?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, embarrassed. He was so used to talking to people who knew him that he forgot that Seungyoun wouldn’t know his </span>
  <em>
    <span>son.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “My dog.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Right, you have a dog!” Wooseok looked at him in surprise. How would he know that? Seungyoun sensed him staring and continued. “I saw the treats in my cart at the store.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right,” Wooseok laughed. “Yeah, he’s my best boy. Kind of a demon, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He must be a little dog then,” he mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you called him a demon,” he laughed. “What is he, a little fluffy cotton ball?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok gasped in surprise. “He is not!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bet he is! All round and soft just like his dad!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he pouted, slouching back into his seat. He reached up and poked his own cheek. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>round nor soft. He was an unsheathed dagger. Seungyoun just didn’t know what he was getting into.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Mr. Bank Man, what did you study in university? Accounting?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Business law,” Wooseok strained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yikes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s as bad as it sounds, I promise,” he said. “What about you? What did you study?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t,” Seungyoun said. Wooseok looked at him in surprise. “Don’t look at me like that. I enlisted early and took a job when I got out. I just skipped a step.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fine,” he said. “As long as you’re doing well, it doesn’t matter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he agreed. “Are you doing well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so,” he said. “My job only sucks when the computers are down, the pay is alright I think, and I get to live alone and come home early. Who can complain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what everyone can dream of,” Seungyoun mused. “Oh, can you pull up the address on the GPS? I’ve never been to this place before, and I don’t want to make you late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked down at his phone with a smile on his face, touched that he was concerned for </span>
  <em>
    <span>him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gotta make a good impression, you know,” Seungyoun added, teasing. “So what are we doing, one-upping your ex?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmmmm, I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe just enough that no one makes that </span>
  <em>
    <span>face </span>
  </em>
  <span>at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What face?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know the one,” he said. It was the half smile. The unspoken </span>
  <em>
    <span>aw. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry you haven’t moved on.</span>
  </em>
  <span> That wasn’t the case at all! If it was, when he saw Seungwoo he would have had thoughts about him for the rest of the week, but only thoughts he had were of– it was unimportant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a reason for anyone to look at you like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we’ll take care of it this time so you don’t have to worry about it.” He smiled softly, still facing the street ahead, but there was something oddly sad about the look on his face as though he either didn’t quite believe Wooseok and that’s why he was doing this in the first place or he had someone he was still secretly caught up on himself. Wooseok wasn’t sure if he wanted it to be either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the card ride was spent trading information and getting their story straight. They decided that saying they met in the mailroom wasn’t that far of a stretch considering that they </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>meet in the mailroom. They just didn’t need to mention that they met in the mailroom a week ago. It was Seungyoun’s idea to say that they had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>moment </span>
  </em>
  <span>when they saw each other, and Wooseok did his best not to gag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a romantic,” he sighed dreamily. “What can I say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can you say that with a straight face?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With practice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cheeky,” Wooseok muttered, but he couldn’t help but smile. Seungyoun was fun, he had to give him that, and he could have seen them being friends if only they had met under different circumstances. He even hoped that if they played their “breakup” right that maybe one day they would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s your favorite food,” he asked, interrupting Wooseok’s thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chicken feet.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re joking,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope, that’s really my favorite. I’ve been told I have the taste buds of an old man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Incredible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like all food,” he considered. “Not big on spice, but I like pizza and burgers. They know me by name at the McDonalds down the street, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok snorted. “So if I walked in and said I wanted the Seungyoun, what would they say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun glanced at him and smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just the thought of you picking up my order is funny to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your teeny tiny little legs trying to make it back before the fries get cold,” Seungyoun giggled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Wooseok shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Op, looks like we’re here,” he said, ducking down to see better through the window. A moment later the GPS alerted them that they’d arrived so Seungyoun was spared from Wooseok’s wrath at least until dinner was over, and Wooseok had no intention of sparing him then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok had never been there before. The building was square and modern but without the familiar touch of fairy lights around the edge or chalk covered boards on easels. Seungwoo was always a frugal kind of guy, saving wherever he could so Wooseok wondered if his fiancé was the kind of person who had expensive taste. Strange, he thought. Only so because if he and Wooseok did happen to live in the same neighborhood, it didn’t really fit the lifestyle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was also possible that they were showing out and the four of them were just as broke and laid back as the other, but Wooseok was ready to play mind games if they were. His “boyfriend” drove a Mercedes after all. Even if it was his mom’s car (maybe).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You nervous?” Seungyoun asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You keep staring out the window and swallowing,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just thirsty, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I got that,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked at him and frowned. “I just don’t know what to expect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun reclined back in his seat and stretched. “First, don’t drink too much. I don’t know why, but I feel like you could be a silly drunk and that might blow our cover.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dancing on tables and everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shut up.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He giggled and continued. “Second, don’t worry about it. They’re getting married right? We just have to ask them a lot of wedding questions. People love talking about that stuff like you could ask them what flowers they’re going with and I can guarantee it will spark a 20 minute discussion that won’t include me being in your life at all. I mean, unless that bothers you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What would bother me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Them talking about wedding stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no it doesn’t,” Wooseok said. “I mean, a little because it’s like shit what have I been doing all this time? Playing league and walking my dog? But not because I don’t want him to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That makes sense,” he considered. “So you’re not single because you’re hung up on him then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wooseok waved his hands. “It’s just not something I’ve been proactive about. Like, where are you supposed to even meet people after university? Work? Yikes. And I don’t like nightclubs. Too much noise, and I like to be home with Ddadda as much as I can anyway. What else, tinder? Nuh uh. Not for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair,” he laughed. “Okay, I’m convinced. Now, let’s go eat fancy food and talk about cake toppers for the next two hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gee, aren’t we lucky.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They reached the valet podium at the restaurant entrance and both got out of the car to hand over the keys. The valet was a young kid barely out of his teens, and it made Wooseok nervous to just hand the car over like that even if it wasn’t his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on,” Seungyoun said, cheerful. “How much does physical contact wig you out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t,” he said, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Works for me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached down and took Wooseok’s hand in one swift motion like he had done it thousands of times. It didn’t have the awkward fumble of a first time, but it still struck Wooseok to the core. He felt himself tense for a moment as the unfamiliar sensation became a reality. Warm and soft and slightly callused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew the flutter in his chest was from nerves. He hadn’t held anyone’s hand in ages, so of course he was nervous, and yet he was brought back to the feeling of the evening chill, someone to cling on to, a gathering with friends at a nice place…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not cold are you,” Wooseok blurted out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, why,” he asked, concerned. “Is my hand too cold? Oh god, am I clammy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let go and wiped his palm against his leg like an anxious teenager. Wooseok held back an endeared smile and took it back. “No, it’s just a little chilly out, and you don’t have a jacket.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he smiled warmly. He twisted their hands until their fingers interlocked comfortably, and Wooseok did his best to not show how wobbly it made his legs beneath him. “It feels nice actually. This is my favorite kind of weather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? It’s mine too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked inside together, both in silent preparation. This was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupidest</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing Wooseok had ever done which meant that it was probably the stupidest thing Seungyoun had ever done too. They were both idiots, but they were idiots hand in hand ready to face the evening head on. Whatever that meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once inside, the host took Wooseok’s coat for him although he didn’t understand why he couldn’t keep it on. It wasn’t like the restaurant was much warmer than it was outside. Seungyoun seemed to read his expression and laughed to himself. If there had been a table to hide it under, Wooseok might have kicked him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led them to their table where Seungwoo and his fiancé waited. They stood up to greet them as soon as they saw them, and somehow they both wore the same warm smile. It was both as eerie as it was comforting. Wooseok hadn’t even spoken to him yet, but he was relieved to see that Seungwoo had found someone with the same solar energy that he had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they approached, Wooseok noticed that he was slightly shorter than Seungwoo and with broader shoulders, but he still towered over Wooseok. All three of them did actually. It wasn’t fair. Why should he have had to tilt his chin up like a child to be a fair match in a conversation? Suddenly he very much couldn’t wait for everyone to sit down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wooseok! Seungyoun, right? I’m so glad you made it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry we’re a little late,” Seungyoun said. “There was traffic on the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok could almost hear the underlying </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wooseok wouldn’t get in my car at the apartments and then wouldn’t get out when we got here so I had to physically drag him in</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but no one else seemed to notice. He would have to pay for that later too, surely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not late at all!” Seungwoo assured them. “We were early, really. Oh! This is my fiancé, Kang Seungsik. Seungsik, this is Wooseok and his boyfriend, Seungyoun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hearing the lie come out of Seungwoo’s mouth so eagerly made Wooseok’s stomach churn. He really didn’t deserve this at all, but it was for his own good, wasn’t it? They were sparing him a whole lot of humiliation by letting him believe it was true. What he did was way worse than what Wooseok did, and now Wooseok and Seungyoun had to make sure he never found out for his own sake, but still, it didn’t make him feel like a good enough person to be called Seungwoo’s friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nice to meet you,” Seungsik said, smiling from ear to ear in a way that made Wooseok feel even worse than he already did, if that was possible. They were both so nice and so happy, and Wooseok was a big stinky liar who told lies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of the pleasantries exchanged after that went through one ear and out the other. Wooseok was sure they were going to get caught, and it was such a terribly nice place to have to disintegrate in. The pile of dust formerly known as Wooseok next to his expensive salmon filet and his microgreen salad. What was a microgreen anyway? He lifted up a sprig with his fork and examined it. It looked like a tiny plant to him. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Seungyoun staring at him like he wanted to laugh. Wooseok scowled and put his fork down and traded it with a glass of water. Seungyoun snickered to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So when did you two meet,” Seungsik asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseon inhaled sharply as the water slipped into his mouth, sliding straight into his lungs. He coughed and sputtered making a huge fuss as he choked in surprise. Seungyoun’s hand went to his back first and pounded between his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay,” he asked, horrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok coughed louder, grabbing the attention of everyone else in the restaurant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine,” he rasped with blurry eyes, waving his hand to say that he didn’t need help. “Went down the wrong pipe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced around the room and noticed how many people were staring at him, and he felt his face burn, but he didn’t want to run out and hide and then have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>come back. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That would have been worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He eventually pulled himself together, and Seungyoun was able to divert the question for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Wooseok didn’t tell me earlier, but how did you guys meet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh funny story actually,” Seungwoo shifted in his seat. “We met when we were kids.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Childhood friends spending their lives together? That’s the dream isn’t it,” Seungyoun said warmly. Wooseok on the other hand wasn’t so amused by it considering that he hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>heard </span>
  </em>
  <span>of Seungsik until a week ago. Not that he was jealous, but if Seungwoo had some secret childhood love while they were dating, he would have at least liked to know about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah that’s what I thought too,” Seungsik laughed. “I don’t know if we were exactly friends, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked at him and gasped. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was a brat,” he teased. “He wouldn’t share any of his toys with anyone, and when his sisters told him he had to, he cried.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t pretend like you remember that,” Seungwoo pouted. “You only know about that because my mom told you, and I did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> cry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I remember,” he said. “You kept holding that Transformers figure in your arms like a baby. You made us all sing it goodnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>tired.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok and Seungyoun watched them bicker like it was a ping pong match. He couldn’t help but imagine two tiny toddlers fighting over toys and becoming the worst of enemies only to end up engaged and seemingly happy. It was a fairytale truly, and he couldn’t help but want it for himself. But if he was strapped to a childhood friend for the rest of his life it was either going to be someone like Yein or Hwanhee, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that kind of commitment. He grimaced at the thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So to answer your question, it was during a holiday and our parents were friends so they made us play together,” Seungsik turned towards them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And it was the worst,” Seungwoo added. “Never in my life have I ever met a bigger tattletale.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik turned to him and blinked. Seungwoo’s face lifted up into a shy smile, his cheeks poking out and his mouth curling back as he became the baby fox no one could dare scold. “You’re on thin ice, buddy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he said, his smile not breaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik tore himself away, equally amused as he was aggravated. It was a feeling Wooseok knew well, and he wasn’t ready to address that yet. “Anyways, we didn’t have the best start, but then we met again on Seungwoo’s birthday a couple years ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo caught their confused expressions and explained. “You know how my mom likes to gather people for Christmas? That time she did it the day before because my dad had to run out of town that year, and she invited Seungsik’s family and some other people to come over. So a lot of people I didn’t know singing me happy birthday…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, that was so painful,” Seungsik grimaced. “I felt so bad for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After that, we bailed because we were the only two people kind of the same age there, and well…,” Seungwoo’s voice trailed off. Seungsik went straight for his wine glass, and Seungyoun and Wooseok both had the decency to not ask for any other details.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could have left that part out,” he muttered into his glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was payback for you calling me a crybaby,” he muttered back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t call you a crybaby, I called you a brat, and now they’re gonna think I’m…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are literally getting married next month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Seungsik laughed in relief. “Right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyways,” Seungwoo turned back towards their audience of two who had been left completely speechless by the exchange. “Speaking of birthdays, yours is coming up right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yeah, next weekend actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh wow, happy early birthday,” Seungsik said. “Are you doing anything for it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “I’ll probably stay in and order something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s kind of a homebody,” Seungyoun added. Wooseok gave him a look. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t read me like that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I thought you two would do something,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh-,” Seungyoun started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, he has to go out of town next weekend,” Wooseok interrupted. “So I already gave him a hard time for it so we’re going to do something later maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe the four of us could when you get back,” Seungsik offered. “I mean I’m sure you two would rather be alone, but Seungwoo’s missed you so much I think I have to make him go too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok laughed brightly at that, happy to have been missed, but also the mortification on Seungwoo’s face was an absolute delight. Obviously someone wasn’t supposed to say that out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah maybe,” Wooseok offered. “You guys are probably going to be super busy with wedding stuff though, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ahhh,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said. “I guess I got ahead of myself. You’re right, we do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, if there’s no time then maybe after you two get settled in, we can do something,” Wooseok said. Luckily that could be months from then thanks to the wedding, the honeymoon, and all the perks that came from being a newlywed. That gave Wooseok plenty of time to coordinate a breakup that would give both he and Seungyoun a clean break, and it seemed to be the most satisfying answer for them too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a nice meal shared among friends, and it wasn’t long before the awkwardness settled and they were able to tease and joke with each other between bites of expensive food until their plates had been carried away long ago. It was going so well, in fact, that the time slipped away from them all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun shifted in his seat as he pulled out his phone. He looked at his screen and frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it,” Wooseok asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They called you in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I asked if they could hold off for a few hours, but it seems like there’s a problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no,” he frowned, genuinely concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry, I thought I would be able to get you back in time before they needed it, but–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, really,” Wooseok assured him. He offered him a comforting smile. “Thank you for coming with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bit his lip and frowned, worried, and lowered his voice. “I don’t know if I can get you back. The studio is halfway between here and our place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can take him,” Seungwoo offered. “It’s on the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Seungsik added. “You live close to me, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we share the same grocery store,” Wooseok said. He turned back to Seungyoun who still had a steady worried gaze locked on him. “Really, it’s fine. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m really sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your boss should be sorry for making you work such awful hours,” Wooseok scowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun reached out and poked his cheek. “If you keep making that face, it’ll get stuck like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>keep making that face, yours will get stuck like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright,” he said fondly. He turned to the others and nodded apologetically. “I’m so sorry to leave like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Seungwoo insisted. “We’re all pretty much done here, right? Why don’t we all walk out together then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? I don’t want to rush you,” Seungyoun said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go with you,” Wooseok said. “You guys stay here, and I’ll come back after I see him off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That seemed satisfying enough for everyone because in a normal situation, two people wanting some alone time to say goodbye to each other was more normal than not. However, Wooseok didn’t need the alone time for the reason they suspected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun stood up and reached for his wallet in his back pocket, and Seungwoo and Seungsik both made a noisy fuss of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” Seungwoo said. “I told you guys we got this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really can’t let you,” he said. “It’s not right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungwoo is acting like a big spender because he knows I don’t like people to know my family owns this place,” Seungsik said. “Oh but don’t get any ideas. It’s just an uncle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahhh,” he said with a laugh. “I have one of those too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked at Seungwoo and thinned his lips. Why couldn’t they have uncles like that? Why did everyone else have mysterious benefacting uncles and not them? It wasn’t fair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dinner is on the house,” Seungsik sighed, mildly embarrassed to say it out loud. “Oh, now that the cat’s out of the bag, what did you guys think of the salmon and duck?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At their puzzled expressions, he continued shyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For catering…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” They said at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I liked the salmon, but the salad…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Wooseok asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, go on,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Salmon yes, microgreens no,” Seungsik nodded. “Got it. And what about the duck?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The duck was great, but I think I might be team salmon,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t even taste it,” Wooseok squinted, suspicious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but you liked it so much it made me want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you ever tried to take a piece of fish away from a hungry cat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s appalled gasp was swallowed up by Seungwoo’s laughter who had to lean into Seungsik’s shoulder to compose himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re all so very funny,” Wooseok grumbled as he stood up from the table. Seungyoun giggled happily as he and Wooseok walked out together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The evening chill hit them both at once as a gust of wind greeted them when they stepped outside. It was completely dark out except for the city lights, and it made him feel wistful. He hated that things had to come to an end, but he didn’t know how much he meant that yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for this,” Wooseok said, swallowing past a dry throat. “You really didn’t have to get me out of this mess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing,” he said. “I think that it would have been really bad for you and your friendship if he ever found out what really happened, and it wasn’t like we really had to lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s true,” he agreed. They succeeded in keeping the conversation steered towards the happy couple, and in return they didn’t have to fumble much over their own farce. If Wooseok spoke to Seungwoo again, he’d break the news that things didn’t work out, and there would never be a chance for their story to not add up. It went surprisingly well, but still he couldn’t help but feel some regret. “I’m not a liar, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you’re not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you don’t like lying,” he said. “And you didn’t except to spare your friend’s feelings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I lied the first time. Who did that spare?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just didn’t want anyone to give you that look,” he said. “How is it different than someone saying they’ve been to job interviews that they never got called for? Or that they’ve been going out more so that no one knows they’ve been stuck at home for weeks? It’s okay to not want people to worry or feel bad for you. You had a moment, and it just kind of happened at the wrong time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Imagine if it had been someone else but me”, he said, and Wooseok winced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” he said, nodding. “Now, don’t worry so much. No one has to feel bad or embarrassed, and no one got hurt, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Wooseok agreed. “But still thank you. And I’m sorry we kept you from work. Oh man, I’m still keeping you, aren’t I? Listen, I’ll drop by tomorrow morning and give you the money after you get home. Same time right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’ll be fine,” he said. Seungyoun glanced quickly out of the corner of his eye and looked up before swallowing hard enough that Wooseok saw his Adam's apple bob. “I can do one more thing for you before I go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh–?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun’s hands went to Wooseok’s jaw, carefully like he was holding something made of glass, too precious for him. They were colder than before, chilled by the night air, and it made Wooseok shiver. The next few seconds went by painfully slow, and he wasn’t sure if time had frozen or if it was because they both were too unsure about what he was about to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned down, and Wooseok’s eyes closed on their own in expectation as he pressed a single, soft kiss in the center of his forehead. He lingered for a moment before pulling away, and Wooseok arched himself up on his tiptoes to follow him. When Seungyoun stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides, Wooseok realized at some point he had reached his own up to grab him, but had hesitated and was left hovering and wondering why he wanted him to do it again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get back inside before you catch a cold,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And in a moment Seungyoun was gone, and Wooseok was left frozen in place by a kiss that hadn’t happened. His whole body burned, and the cold was chased away just by the brief touch of lips against his forehead. It was by far the most unnerved he had ever felt, and it almost broke him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only because it wasn’t real.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok tore himself away and left behind the version of himself that was allowed to feel that way about him. This wasn’t the silly fantasy that he had concocted for the sake of thoughtless entertainment after seeing an attractive stranger. This was his punishment for lying because now he knew for sure he could never have it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he came to his senses, he looked back up at the restaurant, and the melancholy he felt was replaced by pure amusement. He had wondered why Seungyoun did that unprompted, especially considering their situation, but when he looked through the restaurant window, he saw two familiar faces hovering over a potted plant watching him. He scoffed in disbelief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are they, my parents?” Wooseok mumbled to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not long after he went inside, the three of them decided it would be best to go ahead and head back so they could get Wooseok home before settling in. Wooseok rode in the back of Seungwoo’s car, feeling even more like their child, and thought the only thing that could have made it worse was if they made him sit in a child’s car seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really like him,” Seungsik mused to Wooseok’s dismay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungyoun? Yeah, I met him the other day when they were grocery shopping, and he seems so nice,” Seungwoo agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok slumped farther down into his seat. This really was like lying to his parents, and he was a terrible son. They had their hearts set on a new son in law, and that’s when he realized, if he planned to “break up with him,” he should have asked Seungyoun to pretend to be an asshole. But then again, based on their few interactions even when they were alone with nothing to hide, Wooseok wasn’t sure that Seungyoun knew how to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Wooseok expected, when they made it back to his building after the long ride back across town, Seungwoo did, in fact, want to meet Ddadda, but if Wooseok had worried about Seungwoo, he should have expected that his fiancé would be twice as excited as he was. To his surprise, Ddadda, who was normally wary around new people, took to both of them quite well, adoring the attention they showered him with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they finally left, Wooseok collapsed on his couch with his dog soon jumping into his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I was gone for a long time tonight, wasn’t I boy,” he asked. “I missed you too. Tomorrow, after I visit Uncle Seungyoun, we can go to the park, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ddadda twirled around once in his lap to show his excitement, and Wooseok smiled. It felt good to be home. He didn’t know why other people liked going out so much when this felt so nice. Sometimes it was a little too quiet, he’d admit, but that’s why he had Ddadda, and that was enough for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wasn’t it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day Wooseok woke to an early alarm even though once again it was his day off and he was allowed to sleep in except this time he wasn’t because he had business to attend to. He needed to get to Seungyoun’s place early enough so that Seungyoun could get to sleep after he finished work, but before that, he needed to get to an ATM so that he could pay him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He skipped his morning coffee in favor of heading to the bathroom to get ready. There wasn’t a reason he was trying his best to look nice. Was it so wrong to press on a little lip balm before going to a convenience store and walking his dog? Was it forbidden to throw on one of his best sweaters even when he wasn’t doing anything important? Of course not! So why did he feel so silly marching out the door looking like he was headed to a drama audition?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well he certainly wasn’t changing and risking running out of time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The convenience store was just a short walk right around the corner. It was still a bit dark out when he left, and it was significantly colder than the night before, but it was nice because it seemed that he was the only person in sight. No one to bother him and no smell of hot garbage steeping in the sunlight? He couldn’t think of a better time to go for a walk. It made his promise to Ddadda to bring him out after he dropped the money off at Seungyoun’s place all that more exciting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made it to the store and laid out a quick plan of what he needed to do. The ATM was at the front near the registers so he decided that he needed to grab what he was going to buy before getting the money out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picked up two coffee drinks from the cooler and tucked them into the crook of his arm. Obviously Seungyoun didn’t need the caffeine before he went to sleep, but he could always stick it in his fridge at home and drink it before work. He also grabbed a couple of plastic wrapped muffins off the shelf on his way back. Again, it was probably silly to buy the man breakfast before his bedtime, but to be fair, there was never a wrong time to eat a muffin. Wooseok thought that since he did him such a huge favor, he could at least buy him something to eat, and it just so happened that Wooseok’s brain decided that that was going to be a convenience store breakfast regardless of what Seungyoun’s sleep schedule was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He piled everything up on the counter to pay and glanced up at the lottery tickets. Was he feeling lucky? If having his neighbor show up unwittingly just to save his ass from disaster could have been considered luck, he was either on a streak or had used up all he had saved up. It was best not to push it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will that be all?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok took the black plastic bag of snacks after the cashier finished stuffing everything inside and stepped over to the ATM where he pulled out the amount he needed to finish their transaction. That was it then, wasn’t it? No more Seungyoun. This was goodbye for them unless they happened to run into each other again except that had never happened before a week ago so it wasn’t likely to happen again. He frowned. It was hard to not be disappointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tucked the money away in his pocket and headed back to the apartment building. It was brightening up a little but his mood couldn’t reflect it even if he wanted it to. No matter, as long as Seungyoun didn’t notice, it wasn’t anyone else’s problem but Wooseok’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked upstairs to Seungyoun’s floor and found his apartment, remembering the way from the last time he was there for business. He knocked on the door, worried he picked the wrong time, but after a moment, Seungyoun opened it still in the same clothes from the night before. The top buttons were undone revealing a small triangle of skin Wooseok did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>need to see that early in the morning, and his sleeves were rolled up again putting his tattoos on full display. He must have just gotten home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning,” Seungyoun said, cheerful. His face scrunched up in a way that reminded Wooseok of a corgi, and he couldn’t believe Seungyoun ever dared to tease him for looking like a cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning,” Wooseok said back. “I’m not too late am I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just in time,” he said. He stepped to the side, holding the door open with one arm. “Come right in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok stepped past him and held his breath, scared that from being too close, if he accidentally smelled him he might never have wanted to leave. Instead, he hurried away and moved towards the kitchen counter and unpacked one of the coffees and a muffin. “For later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you coming back to have a snack,” he laughed as he closed the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Wooseok glared. “I got these for you, but since you know, for like, breakfast later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thank you. Did you eat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok lifted up his bag. “Not yet, I just got back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So are we going to have breakfast together or are we supposed to eat separately in our own apartments?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh,” Wooseok flushed. “I mean, I wanted to get you something, but with your schedule, I figured you’d rather wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun walked over and examined Wooseok’s gifts before taking the coffee drink off the counter. He gave it a good shake before opening it and drinking like it was water. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” he glanced at the bag. “You bought yourself breakfast right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed to himself and took the bag from Wooseok’s hands. He placed the second muffin on the counter next to his and shook Wooseok’s coffee for him and opened it. “Breakfast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he said quietly. It was a weird moment for them. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to sit down and eat with him quietly or slouch over and shove bits of muffin in his mouth like a cowboy at the saloon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun pulled one of the stools out for him, and Wooseok sat down. Yet another instance of Wooseok’s hesitation instigating an act of chivalry that made him feel like a spoiled royal in the worst way. Instead of laughing at him, he sat down on the other and they shared their meal together. It was already their second meal together, he realized.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How was work,” Wooseok asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was okay,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I just got home a few minutes ago. Oh, I’m really sorry I abandoned you. Did you get home okay? Was it too awkward?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he laughed. “We left not long after you did, and they came up to see my dog for a few minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ddadda, was it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Wooseok pretended that he wasn’t impressed that he remembered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s an interesting name. How did you come up with it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Uhhh…,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wooseok blanched. It wasn’t often anyone asked, and when they did, it always ended in looks of disgust or horror because Wooseok, the person who had to explain where the name came from, was a grown adult man. Not a five year old. He made a face like it was nothing and waved his hands. “Eh, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I don’t know,” he said, leaning over on his elbow, propping himself up for the show Wooseok would rather have died than perform. “I think you’re going to have to explain it for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok winced and groaned in agony. “You’re really going to regret asking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I doubt that,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was nothing else Wooseok could do. He had to do the thing because he couldn’t name his dog snowball like everyone told him to. He closed his eyes and took a breath to calm his nerves before raising his arms up so that his hands were cheek level. He cleared his throat and practiced his tone until he got his voice high and hollow enough to get it right. He looked at Seungyoun, making his eyes as large as he could before dropping his mouth open. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Dda–dda!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun gasped in horror and screeched like he’d seen a ghost. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You asked!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could have warned me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I did!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought it was going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>cute! </span>
  </em>
  <span>This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>horrifying!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> cute!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who told you that?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I–,” Wooseok closed his mouth. Actually, other than a few girls in school who used to wait for him around his locker, he couldn’t think of anyone who didn’t shriek in terror when he did it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what, that’s okay,” he said. “It’s a great name for a dog.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok reached out and smacked him, and Seungyoun giggled, pleased with himself. God, if he didn’t light up the whole room when he laughed, Wooseok probably would have hated him. He was so unbelievably frustrating, but yet it was magnetizing. Wooseok suspected he would never stop teasing him, but he did it in a way that Wooseok kept setting himself up for it even if he knew it was coming. It was infuriating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that bad,” he teased. “I just think it’s too early in the morning to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>ddadda’d </span>
  </em>
  <span>at.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t even gone to bed yet,” he scowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can a man not appreciate the time of day? Must my schedule deprive me of a morning?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I supposed not,” Wooseok grumbled. “Speaking of, I already made you late for work, I will not make you late for bed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He crumbled up his wrapper and stuffed it in the bag. He then stood up so he could retrieve the money from his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here you go,” he said. “It’s all there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you were serious about that,” Seungyoun blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weren’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “It was a date, not a gig.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was not,” he insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A date is a thing you want to be on,” he said. “This was business.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun paused for a moment, but he didn’t argue with him anymore to Wooseok’s relief. He felt like a fool standing there waving money at him, and every second that passed made him regret the whole situation more and more, but he had to stand his ground because this was what they agreed on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took the money from Wooseok and slipped it into his back pocket. “Thanks, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for saving me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stretched his arms out into a shrug. “That’s what I’m here for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say that,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Seungyoun challenged him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re more than someone who gets people out of sticky situations,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know I’m always here if you accidentally tell someone you have a boyfriend again,” he teased, but something about the way he said it made Wooseok feel like he had done something terrible but he couldn’t put his finger on what. Why couldn’t he be there as his friend? Why couldn’t they really be friends? Why did Wooseok feel like saying goodbye now was worse than saying goodbye ten minutes ago? Maybe it was the coffee and sugar making him feel strange.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’ll get some rest then,” he said, signaling that it was time for him to leave, not wanting to overstay his welcome especially now that he felt like he wasn’t supposed to be there anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess,” he said, looking at the floor. “I’m not really that tired yet so I might just clean up here and there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok glanced around at the spotless apartment. “Ah, alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him with a slight pout that made Wooseok want to fall to the ground even if it wasn’t intentional. “What about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I promised Ddadda I’d take him out for a walk after this,” he said. “Then after, I’ll probably clean up around my place soon too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last part was a lie, but Seungyoun didn’t need to know that he planned on spending the day flopped over on his couch mourning his lost 12 hour relationship like a beached whale.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh to the park?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he likes to roll around in the grass.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” Seungyoun joked. Wooseok snorted. “I like dogs too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok glanced at him, trying his best to read his expression without spending too much time staring. Seungyoun looked at him like a kid in a store too shy to ask for a toy, but Wooseok was too shy to offer because if he misinterpreted the look as what could have just been an exhausted haze, he was going to end up crawling back down to his apartment in pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But thirty more minutes of Seungyoun? No strings attached? Well one string… because, well, the dog leash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you… want to go with me?” Wooseok tried. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he immediately regretted them. Of course he didn’t want to go with him. He wanted to sleep, not walk some guy’s dog. “I mean–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he almost shouted. “I mean, if you want me to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you to,” he said quietly. “I mean, if you want to, it’s fine with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you want to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would like to see the dog,” Seungyoun said finally, looking extra small if that was even possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok half scoffed in disbelief. Of course that was it! Ddadda was a star and extremely popular. Even Seungwoo and Seungsik did not hesitate to ask if they could meet him. Of course Seungyoun wanted to too! Everyone did!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Yeah, of course!” Wooseok said, finally understanding. “I need to go get him though. You don’t mind waiting, do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not at all,” he smiled. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get out of these clothes since we’re walking around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, of course! We’ll meet you downstairs then in the same spot, and then we can go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good,” he said, pleased.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>THREE</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The third time Wooseok pretended that Seungyoun was his boyfriend gave them little time for planning, but by then, they were both complete naturals at acting like a couple. Probably a little too natural, but neither would have ever admitted to that. Even though their arrangement had ended, some final loose ends still remained. Two very tall and equally doting loose ends, to be exact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok left in a hurry so Seungyoun could change out of his date clothes that he had gone to work in. Wooseok shivered. They went on a date? It didn’t feel like it because he didn’t have that anxious prickle in his stomach from seeing him again, but they got dressed up, they met, Seungyoun drove them there, they had a nice dinner, there was some kind of a goodbye kiss (if only for show)... They checked off almost all the boxes except Wooseok didn’t feel at all nervous around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally after dates, Wooseok had a bad habit of retreating into his cave until the other person sought him out because he couldn’t bear to look them in the eye. He always spent too much time clinging onto every single embarrassing detail until the point that dating became too much of a chore. Seungwoo was a different story because they were friends first, but Seungyoun? He barely knew him. He was as much of a stranger to him as Seungsik was, and yet Wooseok, who was known for hiding away, was crawling out of his skin for the chance to spend time with him again. The only explanation he could come up with was that it was because it wasn’t a real date so there was nothing to feel nervous about, and yet the answer still did not satisfy him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ddadda greeted him at the door, and Wooseok hurried to grab his leash. It was baby pink and matched Ddadda’s collar, both picked out by the perfect pooch himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Ddadda headed downstairs and found the light pole from the night before to stand by, but his dog had a suspicious glint in his eye that all dogs had whenever they saw something new to mark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” Wooseok ordered, followed by a tiny bark. “Because you’re not supposed to pee on street lamps!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, let him claim the lamp,” a voice teased from behind. Wooseok jumped in surprise, but Ddadda scurried towards the source, his claws scraping excitedly across the sidewalk. The leash wrapped around Wooseok’s ankle, and even though Ddadda was a tiny dog, he was deceptively strong and Wooseok was sent tumbling backwards, reaching out for the very same light pole that he had warned his dog not to pee on. There wasn’t enough time to brace himself for the impact of the back of his head against concrete, but when his body finally made contact with something, it wasn’t nearly as painful as he had imagined it would have been. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Whoa!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The shriek that Wooseok didn’t realize was coming out of his mouth came to a sudden halt as Seungyoun propped him back up on his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he dusted himself off and unwrapped his leg. “Sorry about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That could have been bad,” Seungyoun frowned, ignoring him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for saving me,” Wooseok swallowed. “Again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun flushed and looked down at his feet. “Well when you say it like that, it looks like I’ve made it a hobby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you should try a better hobby,” he laughed. “Like oil pastels or jenga.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jenga’s a hobby?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I imagine it is for some people,” he said. “There’s a hobby for everyone, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun looked at him like he meant to say something, but was interrupted by a tiny bark at his feet as Ddadda tried his best to get his attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Look at you!” He dropped down to his knees, and let Ddadda smell his hands. “You’re such a pretty boy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ddadda spun around once in delight to give him a show because it was true. Ddadda was the prettiest dog in the whole world, and that wasn’t just Wooseok’s opinion. It was an indisputable fact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cupped the dog’s face in his hands and rubbed his cheeks with his thumbs. “He’s so soft.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He probably needs a bath,” Wooseok sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,”</span>
  </em>
  <span>  Seungyoun shook his head. “Him’s perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok couldn’t help but laugh to himself, happy that his boy was getting so much deserved praise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Might need a bath after his walk though,” he added cutely, scratching him behind the ears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So much work for me while you sleep the day away…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to trick me into washing your dog for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am just simply making an observation,” Wooseok smiled. “Come on boy, let’s go to the park.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ddadda yanked his leash towards the stretch of greenery, tugging Wooseok with him, but this time he had a good enough grip to not fall over and make a fool of himself in front of Seungyoun </span>
  <em>
    <span>again. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Although, he considered, by then he should have been used to it…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them followed the trail with Ddadda excitedly running from side to side to smell as much of it as he could. He marked three benches, a trash can, and one large rock before he was satisfied enough to trot along happily while Wooseok and Seungyoun strolled through the park together enjoying the crisp dewy air of the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So how are you going to break the news,” Seungyoun asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What news?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waved his arms. “You know, how all good things must come to an end.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah!” Wooseok said. He hummed in thought. “I don’t know if a fight would be believable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, we would just be mad for a few hours and then get over it because we missed each other probably,” Seungyoun considered. Wooseok felt a strange warmth creep over him. He was right though. He wasn’t sure the thought of him being mad at him long enough to end a relationship was believable at all. “Could say I moved away?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok shook his head. “Seungsik lives around here, and you already ran into Seungwoo at the grocery store. If they see you, they’ll either know we lied or they’ll think you lied to me, and they might want to be good friends and tell me, and then I’d have to lie more to them, and I really don’t want to have to do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want you to have to either,” he frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could say you cheated on me,” Wooseok tried. That was a goodbreason to break up with someone. They would know that Wooseok respected himself enough to not want to get back with him afterwards so it was plausible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” he said, more seriously than expected. “I would never cheat on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok felt his chest tighten, but he kept it to himself while Seungyoun continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine with a lot of things, but I don’t want to have my character assassinated over something I’m very much against.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” he nudged him. “I mean, I didn’t think you would, but this is all pretend right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right,” he swallowed. “Sorry, I got a little carried away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it was a bad suggestion. I was just trying to figure out something that wouldn’t require a lot of extra thinking or lying, but I don’t want to paint you as a bad person </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially </span>
  </em>
  <span>after you stuck your neck out for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun nodded and hummed in concentration. “What if we– oh my god.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Wooseok asked, following his gaze, but a flash of orange caught his eye, making him freeze in his tracks. “Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>god.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they,” he said, coming to terms with what he was looking at. “Wearing matching tracksuits?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so, yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Seungwoo and Seungsik power-walked towards them briskly, lifting their knees up high as they marched, Seungyoun leaned in towards Wooseok so that they wouldn’t hear him. “If we get fake married, do we have to wear those too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked at him like he had lost his mind, and Seungyoun willfully ignored him in favor of greeting the couple headed right for them in a way that made it feel like Wooseok needed to arm himself with a sword and shield against the brightly colored cavalry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They moved like clones, coordinated and ominous, but as they got close enough that Wooseok could make out their faces, the sight of seeing his ex boyfriend, slightly out of breath while cosplaying a giant carrot almost completely took him out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo’s bangs were splayed out in a fan over his head like a Hoopoe, pushed back by the bright orange sweatband around his forehead, and Seungsik had a matching band around one of his wrists and a smartwatch on the other. They slowed to a stop, and both slumped over on their hips, fanning themselves even though it was cool out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long was that,” Seungwoo said, still catching his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungsik glanced at his watch. “Just over 27 minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not bad,” he said. He wiped the sweat off of his lips and offered Wooseok and Seungyoun a smile. “You guys exercise together too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we’re just taking Ddadda for a walk,” Wooseok said. He looked down at his dog who tugged at his leash, eyeing Seungwoo’s leg the same way he had a certain street lamp before. “No, you can’t do that, that’s a person.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ddadda looked up at him with a soft whimper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I’m sure,” Wooseok said in a hushed tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Seungyoun exclaimed. He reached for the leash out of Wooseok’s hand. “Let me take him so he doesn’t have an accident.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s alright, we’ve gotta keep going before our heart rates settle,” Seungwoo said, stepping back a bit for his own safety. “Oh, listen, since we ran into you like this, it’s been on my mind since last night, but I don’t feel right about you not doing anything for your birthday. It always puts you in a bad mood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine really,” he waved him off. He was right, but also he didn’t know if he could process more wedding planning details especially on his birthday. Plus, they had already said that Seungyoun was going to be out of town. Actually, that would have been a good excuse for a breakup if they had thought about it in time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun looked at him, reading his expression, but Wooseok couldn’t think of a good enough way to say that he wanted to spend his birthday alone in a way that wasn’t a blatant lie or didn’t encourage a certain pair of traffic cones to throw him a surprise party.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Seungyoun said. “It’s probably the worst for you guys since I’m the one with the weird schedule, but I should have the Tuesday after off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really,” Wooseok asked, surprised. This definitely wasn’t part of their arrangement so there was no need for him to keep playing the part, and this wasn’t even presented as another double date, but instead of trying to get him out of it, he was… happy? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tuesday night, right,” Seungsik asked. “When does the day start for you usually?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Around 5, but I don’t mind staying up,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, don’t miss out on sleep,” Seungwoo waved. “We can do something on a Tuesday night. We’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> old.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo ignored him. “What’s something that’s open at night that isn’t too crowded.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The movies?” Seungsik suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was a genius. At the theater, it was frowned upon to talk, and the less they talked, the less they had to lie, and Wooseok wouldn’t have to feel like the worst person in the world while they were there. Although, there was still the problem of dragging Seungyoun around against his will so he had to come up with some way to get him out of it. If Wooseok had to spend an evening with them without him, he wouldn’t have to listen to too much wedding stuff either because not only could Wooseok not talk, </span>
  <em>
    <span>they </span>
  </em>
  <span>couldn’t talk either!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The movies works for me,” Seungyoun said with a smile. Wooseok blinked. So much for getting him out of it. “There’s a cinema just down the street from here we can meet at, but the tickets are on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, we can’t let you,” both Seungwoo and Seungsik both said in various ways. Even Wooseok felt obligated to stop him, but he was too busy trying to process why his partner in crime was going so far off script. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really don’t worry about it,” he waved his arms. “My boyfriend’s birthday night should be on me. You two already let us be guinea pigs for your reception catering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Boyfriend</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Wooseok’s face burned, but luckily no one was paying any attention to him to see it, too busy arguing over the right to spend money. It was a word he liked a little too much, but he couldn’t let anyone realize that he wasn’t used to it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend. </span>
  </em>
  <span>If he repeated it enough times to himself, eventually it would lose its meaning. He had to trust that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So it seemed that their arrangement was going to have to go on for a little bit longer than he had expected, but it was fine. There wasn’t a time limit to fake a breakup. Sometimes things happened, such as running into one’s ex in the park, that derailed plans. It was to be expected at times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But why, he wondered, did this feel like this time it was Seungyoun’s idea?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>FOUR</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fourth time that Wooseok pretended that Seungyoun was his boyfriend came almost a week later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made their movie plans quickly so Seungwoo and Seungsik could finish exercising, and Wooseok insisted on dragging Seungyoun back to his apartment so he could get some sleep before work that night. Seungyoun, however, was not nearly as inclined to do what he was supposed to do and decided to walk with Wooseok and Ddadda back to their apartment instead to say goodbye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t see each other again after that, both with their opposing schedules and their own lives that existed outside of their arrangement. Wooseok went back to work the next week and focused on his job as much as he could to push back the daydreams he had of a boy who was willing to hold his hand and walk his dog just to keep him from facing a big disaster by himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t that he liked Seungyoun, exactly. Well, he did like him, of course, he was a likable guy, but he admired his character and was able to recognize that he was both just as charming as he was handsome. He liked spending time with him, but that would have been anyone who met him. So it was natural to think about spending time with him. It made the days pass much more quickly at least. Too bad convincing himself of that made them pass much slower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The weekend came, and it was Wooseok’s birthday. Funny enough, that wasn’t the day he looked forward to anymore, but this was something to celebrate too. He always liked celebrating his birthday, and it was true that he normally wanted to spend it with other people, but lately even the idea of gathering with a large group of people exhausted him. Maybe one person would have been fine, but when it came down to who that one person was, he didn’t want to hurt his own feelings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Ddadda planned to spend the day together like they always did, and it was nice. It was what he wanted, really. He was happy and not at all lonely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at the clock and twisted his mouth. It was still early in the morning. He didn’t want to order food yet, but he was already low on his second cup of coffee. He considered going to bed, but even if he wasn’t going to be doing anything, he didn’t want to waste the day. He thought of his list again, but there was absolutely nothing to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ddadda jumped up off of his lap and ran to the door. He scratched at the wood even though he knew he wasn’t supposed to, but Wooseok didn’t feel like scolding him. “What is it boy? Need to go out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A knock followed that startled his caffeinated heart. Ddadda barked and wagged his little tail so it must have been one of Wooseok’s friends stopping by, but it was also a bit early for any of them to be out of bed and dressed and out and about. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Strange</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed back Ddadda carefully with his foot so that he wouldn’t run out into the hall and opened the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, hello,” Wooseok said, surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seungyoun said awkwardly. He had a set of plastic bags in his arms from different stores and a nervous expression on his face that matched the way his feet shuffled beneath him. “Sorry I’m late. I had to wait until the bakery opened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bakery?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you think I’m going to show up here on your birthday without a cake? What kind of fake boyfriend do you take me for,” he joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok snorted. “One who is really going all out to play the part. You didn’t have to do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, fine, I needed to say that so I don’t feel as cringy as I do right now for getting a birthday cake and a present for someone I don’t even know,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok eyed the bags, intrigued. “Present?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun sucked his teeth. “Okay, listen before you get mad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok squinted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you slam the door in my face, I will be very upset,” he added quickly. Wooseok waited patiently for an explanation. “I think I might be an idiot…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did… did you get me something offensive,” he asked carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What! Oh no! No, it’s nothing like that, really,” he insisted. “I just had an idea, and now I think it wasn’t a very good idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I see it,” he glanced again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if you think it’s stupid?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok knew that the expression on his own face was a shameless pout, but he didn’t care. The man had a cake and a present, and wouldn’t let him have it. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He stepped away so Seungyoun could come inside, and the other followed him without much hesitation and sat his bags down so he could unpack them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I wasn’t sure what kind of cake you would like so I got chocolate with strawberries because that one looked the prettiest in the window, and well, you know,” he gestured towards Wooseok, making him blush. “And uh, for the present, I have no idea what you like, and I didn’t want to give you something you’d hate and it just take up space or make you have to pretend like it wasn’t awful so I, uh. You like Ddadda, so I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slid the bag across the table. Wooseok pulled back the plastic just enough to see what was inside, and he immediately dropped his head in his hands and laughed until tears burned his eyes. Seungyoun asked what was so funny, but he couldn’t catch his breath long enough to tell him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You,” he wheezed. “You got Ddadda dog toys for my birthday?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, it is stupid, isn’t it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s not, really,” Wooseok caught his breath. He wiped a tear as he composed himself. “It’s just so funny, thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next year I’ll get you both presents,” he pouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is great, thank you,” he said, ignoring the promise of there being a next year. He reached into the bag and grabbed a pink squeaky mouse that matched Ddadda’s collar and leash and a set of bouncy balls that were small enough for him to play with. “He’s going to love them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The gift recipient in question stood at their feet watching, having no idea the presents were for him. Wooseok squatted down with the mouse in one hand and the ball in the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uncle Seungyoun brought you presents,” he cooed. Ddadda twirled around in glee at the sight of his new toys. He put them down for him, and the first thing Ddadda did was step on the mouse with his paw, but he scurried away at the sharp squeak. “He’s a lover, not a fighter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess that doesn’t run in the family,” Seungyoun mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked up and scowled. “Hey, what does that mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It means you’re always trying to throw hands at somebody,” he said, squatting next to him. He took the mouse and gave it a gentle squeak before calling Ddadda back. To Wooseok’s surprise, he came to him immediately, prancing as he ran like Seungyoun wasn’t a stranger, his tongue flapping in the wind. He raised the mouse and gave it two more small squeezes, but pulled it back out of Ddadda’s reach. “You want the mousy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dog spun around again, his eyes locked on his new toy. Seungyoun teased him with it for a bit before letting Ddadda take it from his hand with a tiny squeak. In a flash, he was gone into Wooseok’s room with his new pink friend, not to return again until it was snack time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s never done that before,” Wooseok laughed. A distant squeak followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He seems happy,” he offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he loves it, thank you,” Wooseok said. He didn’t realize how close they were until then. If he wanted to, he could have leaned over just enough to nudge him to the ground, and they could have shared their cake on the floor right there, but being next to Seungyoun wasn’t something that made him feel too playful yet. He felt warm and suddenly too aware of the air around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun stood up first and helped Wooseok to his feet, and that warmth pulled him to him like he was lulled forward by a wave, and he might have stumbled back in surprise, if the hand that had pulled him up wasn’t still holding onto his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m happy you came by,” Wooseok heard himself say. His voice was too soft and too hoarse, lost in the back of his throat like it was every time he got nervous around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” he said even more quietly, if that was possible. His hand fell back to his side slowly enough that his fingers grazed the edge of Wooseok’s, and a chill traveled up Wooseok’s spine all the way to the back of his head. He wanted him to do it again. He wanted him to do it a lot, actually. “Hey, do you wanna maybe…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A knock came before Seungyoun’s mouth could form the next work, and Wooseok desperately wanted to ignore whoever was on the other side in favor of finding out what it was he wanted to ask him, but it was Seungyoun who stepped back, putting the gap between them that was more appropriate and brushing himself off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok stepped back too, brought back to reality. “I should see who that is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should get going then probably,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to chase you off…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s late,” he laughed. “And you’ve got guests.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They might not be guests,” Wooseok pointed out. “What if someone’s come to rob me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another impatient knock came. “Do robbers knock?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They might,” he smiled. He walked over and opened the door to three familiar faces, and one of them belonged to the person who immediately launched himself forward and threw his arms around Wooseok’s neck. “Hangyul!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy Birthday!” Hangyul shouted with his low tone as he lifted Wooseok off the ground. Sooil and Dongyeol stood behind him with gifts in their arms waiting for their friend to let go of him so they could hand them over. “I missed you so much!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Wooseok’s feet hit the ground, he stumbled backwards clumsily only to have a hand reach out for his back quickly enough that no one else saw. Seungyoun stood to his side only blocked from leaving by the people who stood in the doorway. It was a pity they had to say goodbye like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you guys doing here,” Wooseok asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wanted to surprise you,” Dongyeol said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sooil handed over his gift first and glanced at Seungyoun, not wanting to be rude. “Ah, sorry, we should have called first if you had company.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just leaving,” Seungyoun smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He glanced at Wooseok and then at Hangyul before he stepped off to sneak out. It made Wooseok’s stomach flip in the worst way. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, we’re not…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my boyfriend, Seungyoun,” Wooseok blurted out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Uh oh. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungyoun froze and turned back at him, pale faced and just as shocked as the others were. Wooseok, realizing that he was an </span>
  <em>
    <span>idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span>, lowered his voice. “He was just… on his way home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Hangyul’s face brightened first. “We had no idea! Then if you’re Wooseok’s boyfriend, that makes us family, bro. You want a hug too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m okay,” Seungyoun laughed. “Maybe next time, today Wooseok gets all the hugs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what, that’s a good point,” Hangyul said before throwing his arm around Wooseok again, pulling him to his chest, and ruffling his hair while Wooseok yelped in surprise, swinging his arms until Hangyul let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gyul!” Wooseok shouted before brushing down his hair with his hands. “I’m gonna kick your ass!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you’ve never seen him like this,” Sooil mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope, I haven’t,” Seungyoun said with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s because Hangyul is four years old, and he likes to bully him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what I did in a past life to deserve this,” Wooseok grumbled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something great, obviously,” Hangyul said, cheerful, and Seungyoun laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s good to see Wooseok’s got so many good friends,” Seungyoun said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you have to go,” Dongyeol said. “I mean, we can leave if you guys had plans, or I mean we can all hang out together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we can next time,” he said. “I really was about to leave, but I was worried about him spending the day by himself so I’m really glad you guys dropped by.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where did you find him,” Hangyul whispered not too subtly. “He’s so nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok cleared his throat and elbowed him. “You know what, I’ll walk out with you. I’ll see you guys in a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grabbed Seungyoun’s hand and led him out of the apartment, letting the door fall shut and cutting off something about Wooseok needing some alone time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Wooseok whispered. “I had no idea anyone was coming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he whispered back as if to tease him. “You should spend your birthday with your friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They seem nice,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They are,” Wooseok vouched.Seungyoun looked down at his feet. “It just slipped out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he assured him. “I just don’t want you to get hurt is all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not,” he swallowed. “I just realized it seems like I’m taking advantage of you, but I–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I was uncomfortable with it, I would have said something. Well, I mean not right then, but earlier I would have when this started, but I don’t want to keep you from your friends so I’m going to go back to my place and get some sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, alright,” Wooseok said, mildly disappointed. “Hey, what were you going to ask earlier?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t remember,” he shrugged. “I’ll see you Tuesday night, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok wished he could have said something better, but at least he knew he could see him again in a few days, and that was something to look forward to.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>FIVE</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the fifth time Wooseok pretended that Seungyoun was his boyfriend, it was something he was used to. It felt just as natural as if it was real, and because of that, he forgot too easily that it wasn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as he got home from work, he hurried into his room to change into something more appropriate for a date. He dug out his lucky yellow sweater and a pair of white pants, ignoring Hangyul’s voice in the back of his head that told him it made him look like an upside down peeled banana. A very cute peeled banana, Seungyoun would have said if he had been there, but this was years before they ever would have crossed paths, but something told Wooseok that he would have fit right in with them like he had always been there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dug through an old jewelry box that held his glasses. No one understood why he would go through the trouble of getting corrective surgery just to continue to wear frames, but the difference was being able to see what he was doing in the shower and drawing attention towards his eyes for a date. Glasses were a fashion statement, but being able to see was a necessity for life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pair he picked out were silvery and round, drawing up his cheeks and sharpening his nose while softening the rest of his face. They were perfect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>About an hour later, Seungyoun stopped by so they could go together. Wooseok would have normally taken a moment to admire him and the effort he put in to look like a boyfriend, but the moment he saw his face, he immediately melted in to someone who couldn’t appreciate Seungyoun’s artsy fashion sense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning,” Wooseok giggled, seeing his red cheeks and drowsy eyes. His hair had been brushed out of his eyes, but still stood up slightly in the back. Seungyoun was not a morning person, that was for sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you have a good day,” he half mumbled before covering his mouth for a yawn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held back a smile, trying his best not to fawn all over him just because he was sleepy. “I did. Would you like some coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “No thank you. I’ve just gotta walk around a bit to wake up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good thing the theater is a few blocks away then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can drive us, if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No need,” Wooseok said. “It feels really good outside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm, perfect walking weather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They left together after Wooseok grabbed his wallet and house key. He made sure to stuff the rest of his birthday money inside for snacks for when they got there. The best part about this not being a real second date is that if Wooseok spent the night half covered in popcorn butter, Seungyoun couldn’t get disgusted and ghost him. He pictured his new friend stuffing snacks in his oversized pants pockets and giggled. Perhaps they could sneak some cheaper options in instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Seungyoun asked, noticing him laughing to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” Wooseok smiled. “I was thinking about snacks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him for a moment with an amused expression before continuing down the street. Wooseok hurried up to match his pace. He reached out to take his hand but stopped himself. It was much too early for that. No one else was around, so they could still act normal for a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I should tell Seungwoo we’re on our way in case they get there first,” Wooseok mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a good idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok sent him a quick text, and Seungwoo responded with an awkward voice to text reply that Wooseok deciphered to mean that there was construction on the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think they might be late,” Wooseok said. “There’s construction. Or, uh…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held up the phone so Seungyoun could see what Seungwoo accidentally sent and coughed. “Are you sure he meant construction?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, I hope so,” he grimaced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun shivered. “Not sure why his phone would default to that unless…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Agh!” Wooseok shouted, swatting Seungyoun’s arm in horror as an unwelcome image took over his mind. “Don’t make me think of that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He giggled as he dodged Wooseok’s smacks, letting his arm take most of his swings. “He said it, not me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok swung again, but that time Seungyoun caught his hand and held it up over Wooseok’s head so he couldn’t move. He stuck his tongue out and let go as soon as Wooseok stopped struggling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just go with construction,” he frowned, dropping his hands to his sides. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Child</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun giggled again, his feet shuffling in delight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you so happy about,” Wooseok scolded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re mad at meeee,” he cooed cutely. Wooseok pouted and shoved him, making him stumble forward, but it seemed that it was less from Wooseok’s push and more from him playing around like a fool, finally awake enough to be silly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You go to the movies, I’m going home!” Wooseok spun around and turned back towards their building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no you don’t,” he laughed. “I’m not going on this date without you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok hurried off in the opposite direction, but a hand slipped in on the inside of his elbow and spun him back around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now,” he said, dragging him back down the street. Wooseok couldn’t help but laugh as he tripped over his own feet, feeling giddy and playful himself. “Why don’t you ask him what movie they want to see so we can go ahead and get the tickets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok nodded and pulled the message up, seeing Seungwoo’s cursed reply. He shook his head and typed out their question so hopefully it would soon be buried. Seungwoo’s message came quickly, and Wooseok snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’d he say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three donut hair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun giggled to himself. “At least he doesn’t text and drive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poor little old man,” Wooseok shook his head fondly. “He tries his best.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun nodded in agreement, lost in thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just thinking you two have a good relationship,” he said. “When this started, I thought I would have to like, protect you, or something, or at least be a buffer, but it doesn’t seem that bad at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I’m relieved,” he said. “I’m glad you’re happy, and you have good friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like having one more,” Wooseok nudged him shyly. “If that’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ohhhh,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he teased. “Is Wooseokie trying to make a new friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, shut up!” Wooseok shouted. “I changed my mind!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s too late, you can’t change your mind! We’re friends forever! I cannot be chased away!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I wasn’t talking about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes you were.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I never said that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was implied.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No it wasn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes it was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, shut up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Make me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and Seungyoun gave him a daring look. It was a small challenge, but Wooseok wasn’t crazy enough to take it. Instead he poked him between the ribs and continued walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They bickered playfully until they reached the theater. It was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday afternoon, and the line was just as packed as if it was an opening night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once inside, they were wedged together between the other guests. Some were couples not like them (or they might have been, who could tell), and some were groups of high school students still in their uniforms. Wooseok thought it was strange until he noticed the sign on the wall that said tickets were half off on Tuesdays. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
  <span> That was lucky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As more people piled in for their movie savings, Seungyoun quietly put his hands on Wooseok’s waist and pulled him in front of him, seeming nervous about the crowd. Was he scared of busy spaces? They hadn’t had the chance to talk about things like that. He then bent over to prop his chin on Wooseok’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around him. Wooseok’s eyes widened in shock, but he liked it. It was something he could easily get used to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, if this makes you uncomfortable, but the dude to your left was trying to grab your phone,” he whispered, his warm breath tickling Wooseok’s ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure,” he whispered back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Either that or he was about to cop a feel, but now you should be good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok reached back and took his phone out of his back pocket and held it sturdily in his hand and pulled the back of his sweater down to cover himself just in case. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” he said, still resting his chin on him. The weight of another person was nice. Even though he was only doing it to keep some old creep or thief off, it still made Wooseok feel warm all over. Although the motivation behind it could have been the reason he felt so good about it anyway. A friend looking out for him? What was better than that? “So what do you wanna watch?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok hummed and looked up at the screen. The movie list flashed in groups of five up above their heads, and Wooseok hadn’t heard of any of them before. He scanned the titles until something looked familiar, but even after a full rotation, nothing stuck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea,” he said. “Have you heard of any of these?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun lifted his head up so he could look, taking the extra weight on Wooseok’s shoulders with him. “The Dark Below is supposed to be decent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s it about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It sounds like a horror film,” Wooseok considered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You scared of horror movies?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“As your fake boyfriend, I will happily extend my duties to keeping you safe from the scary movies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” Wooseok whined, wiggling in his grasp. “I said I’m not scared!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you say,” he said cutely. “Fine, no horror movies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked back up at the board and frowned, but then he looked at the line ahead of them and got an idea. He turned back so he could hear him whisper low enough that no one else could. “Hey, you see those kids.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun’s eyes followed the direction of his head tilt towards a group of high schoolers or maybe young college students. “Yeah, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just go see whatever they get tickets for,” he whispered. “They’ll know what’s good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun snorted. “Are you taking tips from the youths?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a better idea?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, your idea’s good,” he said. “Grandpa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok scowled into a pout, and Seungyoun laughed happily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I take it back, you’re still a baby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He folded his arms over his chest and ignored him. “Fine we’ll just go see your horror movie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Five tickets for Heartstoppers, please!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heartstoppers it is,” Seungyoun mumbled, standing back upright. “Sounds romantic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it’s a movie about doctors,” Wooseok tried. Seungyoun raised an eyebrow. “Listen, a guy can hope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not in the mood for a love story?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m scared to see what watching a sappy movie might do to our two dear lovebirds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if they could handle any more inspiration,” Seungyoun shook his head. “We may be making a mistake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to try something else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, this is fine,” he shrugged. “I’ll watch anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Besides, if they think we picked out a romantic movie on our own, it might make this more believable,” he gestured towards himself and Seungyoun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun put his hands on his hips. “Are you saying we’re not believable?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Wooseok flushed. “I mean, I’m just saying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed dramatically and took Wooseok’s hand again. “If you wanted me to hold your hand, all you had to do was ask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok gasped. “I did not!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now you have to because if you let go people will think we’re fighting, and that might make someone uncomfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What people? Seungwoo and Seungsik aren’t even here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone else here,” he gestured. “They might all think we’re fighting, and then their whole collective movie experience will be ruined!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not fighting though!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, we’re holding hands so that no one thinks we are,” he smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quit smiling then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m trying,” he said flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not doing a very good job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shut up.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun had a pleased look on his face when they stepped up to the counter. He finally let go so he could get the tickets, letting Wooseok’s empty hand fall. Wooseok didn’t like that very much, but that was something he would have to keep to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, could we get two tickets for Heartstoppers and put two on hold for our friends to pick up,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me get theirs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun ignored him and slid the money under the window. The cinema employee slipped him a piece of paper back. “What’s Seungwoo’s surname?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Han.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wrote down the name on the piece of paper and slipped it back under. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem. The movie starts seating in ten. Have a nice night!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He handed Wooseok his ticket and headed towards the snackbar with Wooseok trailing behind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know you could do that,” Wooseok said once they were past the barrier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reserve movie tickets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yeah you normally have to do it by phone and then pay later, but it helps when one of your friends is the one at the booth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked back quickly to see, taken completely by surprise. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Your what?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, oh thanks, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok paused, waiting for an explanation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s been trying to set me up with one of his cousins for months,” Seungyoun said casually. “Call us even?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So back there, you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanted snacks, right?” Seungyoun spun back around towards the counter, skirting away before he could get in trouble for using Wooseok like a human meat shield only moments before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seungyoun!” Wooseok shouted. “Hey! You could have warned me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To be fair, I never got much warning either,” he said over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok froze. “Well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m kidding,” he laughed. “Come here, what do you like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uhhh…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For snacks,” he added awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I honestly just want a huge bag of popcorn and a coke,” Wooseok said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The big boy?” Seungyoun stretched his arms out. Wooseok nodded once in affirmation. He looked back up at the menu and scratched his chin. “Could I get some chocolates?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can get anything you want, why are you asking me,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked, a little stunned. “Oh right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok snorted and elbowed him. “Goofball.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of people acting goofy,” he changed the subject. “What would you have done if I had asked you to pretend to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>boyfriend back there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would have done it,” he shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun raised an eyebrow. “You think you could have without getting flustered?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have you as my fake boyfriend all the time and I don’t! What’s the difference?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The difference is you being okay with me being clingy towards you for your sake around your friends who we are both lying to and you being clingy with me for someone you don’t even know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok frowned. “I could do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Without laughing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I could!” He almost stomped his feet in place. He could do anything he wanted, and if that meant that he had to throw himself at Seungyoun without a care in the world, then by golly he would have! “Watch!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In one swift step back and to the side, he threw his arms around Seungyoun’s barrel of a chest in the world’s most aggressive back hug with a very straight face, he might have added. Seungyoun let out a surprised </span>
  <em>
    <span>oomph </span>
  </em>
  <span>and was pushed forward by the impact. Wooseok almost let go out of shame alone, but then a loud cackle erupted from the person he clung onto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held Wooseok’s arms in place against his stomach as he laughed until he almost choked. Wooseok pressed his face against his back in shock at himself, knowing he had turned a fiery shade of red. Seungyoun turned around and pulled a very bashful and regretful Wooseok into his arms and didn’t let go until he could contain himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, I believe you,” he wheezed. “You would make a great fake boyfriend. I was wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See,” he said, his voice muffled against his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m convinced, really,” he patted the back of his head. “Next time I’ll give you a heads up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok stepped back and brushed himself off, making sure to straighten his glasses to collect himself. “That’s what neighbors are for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun looked at him fondly and reached out and brushed Wooseok’s hair down for him with his fingertips. “You did great. We should probably get in line before all of those high school kids finish getting their tickets, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will fight them off for my popcorn,” Wooseok said, not as convincingly tough sounding as he would have liked. He still felt a bit sheepish for being so ridiculous both in public and with Seungyoun of all people, but at least he had a sense of humor and could appreciate that if Wooseok was weird, it was what he signed up for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So there wasn’t anyone grabbing after me?” Wooseok swallowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah there was, sorry, I meant the aggressive hand holding,” he said. “Well like I would have done that anyway, but–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, yeah, makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stood a few paces back in front of the register, not the first in line. Wooseok knew what he wanted, but he still pretended to look while Seungyoun scanned the menu looking pensive and unsure. Wooseok glanced at the options and wondered if Seungyoun was a popcorn person like him or a squid and cuttlefish kind of guy. But he said he wanted chocolate, didn’t he? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of popcorn do you like?” Wooseok tried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed. “I’m fine with anything. What do you like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same,” he said. “Sometimes I get half and half with extra butter on one side and cheese and garlic on the other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cheese and garlic,” he raised an eyebrow. “Bold choice for a movie date.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok flushed and looked away. “Who said I eat it on movie dates?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this not a movie date?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To be fair, if we’re what we say we are, we would have been together long enough for you to not care if I have garlic breath,” he defended himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, you should get as much garlic as you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe not this time,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun glanced at him with a soft smile, but then it was their turn to order so the discussion about garlic popcorn ended. He made Wooseok order first, but after Wooseok finished saying he wanted an extra extra large popcorn with half extra extra cheese powder and a large coke, he hip checked him out of the way so Wooseok couldn’t pay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nuh uh,” Wooseok insisted. “Snacks are on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” he said before picking out a sprite and a couple boxes of chocolate. “Share your popcorn with me though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I was going to,” he lied. “But I can’t let you pay for this </span>
  <em>
    <span>too.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun took out his money and handed it to the employee behind the counter. “Who do you think is paying for all of this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked at the money and realized. “Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you think I was going to let you </span>
  <em>
    <span>pay me</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go out with you and then not spend the money on </span>
  <em>
    <span>you?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Another guy standing in the spot next to them glanced at them both in surprise hearing that little detail that Wooseok didn’t want anyone in the world to know. Wooseok elbowed Seungyoun sharply who winced in pain. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Dude?!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry!” Seungyoun whispered. They took their hoard of drinks and snacks away while Wooseok hid his face away from anyone else who might have heard. “And even if this wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>money, I don’t see the problem with me spending money on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok ignored him in favor of a question that now bothered him. “Did you buy me a birthday cake and dog toys with my date bribe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “That was mine. You can’t buy your own gifts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, relieved for some reason. He wasn’t sure why it mattered, but the thought of someone buying him birthday gifts with </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>money would have left him with a certain kind of emptiness that he didn’t feel knowing it was funding their movie date. Probably because he didn’t have to feel guilty about Seungyoun buying his friends’ tickets. He was sure that was it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you mad at me?” Seungyoun asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! Of course not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re frowning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m just hungry,” he forced himself to smile. He wasn’t upset, really. But the thought that he almost had a reason to be bothered him, but that didn’t have anything to do with Seungyoun at all. It was the fact that he cared either way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yeah, do we need napkins, double-butter-popcorn?” Seungyoun teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you’re annoying,” Wooseok wailed. “The worst!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snickered gleefully as they continued towards the self serve counter with all the straws and napkins. They also had extra flavor powders, salt and pepper, and some moist towelettes. Wooseok shoved a few of those in his pockets, earning a giggle that he responded to with a piercing glare. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At some point, the guy who had overheard them at the snack counter slinked over and leaned up against the wall with his eyes on Wooseok like he could see through his sweater. “You know, if I was your boyfriend, you wouldn’t have to pay me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s mouth fell open in shock, and Seungyoun snorted so loud that he almost choked, but the stranger ignored him, immune to shame, no doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s,” Wooseok swallowed. “Nice, thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun giggled and turned away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop that,” he said under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t,” he whispered like the guy couldn’t hear them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyways, if you’re single and wanna ditch your friend…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s not,” Seungyoun said. “Please stop bothering my boyfriend before he throws his popcorn at you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t look like your boyfriend to me,” he eyed them. “What do you say, cupcake?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cupcake? I’d say you’re lucky my boyfriend thinks this is funny,” Wooseok said, feeling a little daring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy laughed looking at them both. “Alright, I can take a hint, but you two are hilarious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok squinted. “Why’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretending to date each other so you don’t have to have real feelings,” he gestured towards himself like he meant Wooseok was denying himself a shot at </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but the words struck a nerve. And not just for Wooseok</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, time to go,” Seungyoun said without his normal amusement that came whenever he spoke. “We’re going to be late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They left him behind and handed their tickets off, and then headed down the dark hall to find their theater.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Wooseok asked, noticing the tension in his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> okay? Dude was a creep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine,” he forced a laugh. “I can’t believe you denied me a chance at </span>
  <em>
    <span>true love </span>
  </em>
  <span>back there. He might have been </span>
  <em>
    <span>the one.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun snorted, finally relaxing. “Listen, if you want me to go back and get his number for you, I will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay, I trust your judgment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, you can do better. I didn’t like his vibes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Are you going to screen all of my potential suitors for me from now on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” he said. “None of them are ever going to be good enough though so I hope you’re patient.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the rush?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they found their theater, there weren't a lot of people seated yet, and the screen played a loop of movie trivia questions before the previews and advertisements started. They were just on time to get comfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An usher pointed them towards the middle, and Seungyoun informed him that the seats in the middle had the best audio in the whole theatre.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s where they sit for the final mix to make sure the movie sounds good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok hummed. “Sounds fake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You doubt me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubt the reddit post you got that from,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun squinted at him with a playful glare. “I’m gonna go tell your boyfriend you’re being mean to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like someone’s jealous,” he mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of what?” Seungyoun gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone wishes he got hit on by Mr. Greasy instead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s it,” he sighed dreamily. “I wish that was me instead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I were some weirdo at the movies, I’d hit on you,” Wooseok offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying you’re not some weirdo at the movies?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed. “Do you want me to hit on you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can try,” Seungyoun shrugged. “If you think you can…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you doubting </span>
  <em>
    <span>me?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I might be,” he held back a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok, who would not be brushed off, leaned over against the back of one of the empty seats, careful not to spill his popcorn. He did his best to mimic the pose of the creepy guy from earlier down to the part where it seemed like his crotch was pointed right at him like an unwhetted dagger. He looked Seungyoun up and down like he was taking him in, doing his best not to crack under pressure. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun snorted loudly, but Wooseok would not be stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You got a boyfriend?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop!” He pleaded. “I’m begging! Don’t do this to me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You look like the kinda guy I could watch a movie with.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun cringed all over, his face shrinking into something horribly disturbed. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> the guy you’re watching a movie with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked him up and down again, feeling bold now that he had already gone for it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You don’t even need a ticket to see </span>
  </em>
  <span>this</span>
  <em>
    <span> show.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun squealed loud enough to catch the attention of a couple already waiting on the other side of the theater. Wooseok’s whole body shook in disgust with himself, and a few pieces of popcorn flung out down the aisle. “Please never hit on anyone again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, you didn’t like it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I loved it, now let’s sit down before the usher kicks us out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finally got to their seats and set their drinks down in the cup holders. They left the armrest up between them so they could wedge Wooseok’s ridiculously large bucket of popcorn between their legs so he could avoid accidentally leaving a big, warm, buttery patch on the inside of his thighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they sat, the embarrassment sank in, and Wooseok’s lips curled in as he slowly died on the inside. Seungyoun giggled to himself on the other hand, and Wooseok was sure he was going to tell Seungwoo and Seungsik all about it once they got there. If they ever got there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok turned his attention to the theater screen where the trivia questions still played on the screen. He tried his best to answer the questions, but he didn’t know any of them, and it wasn’t too bad until Seungyoun joined him and got all of them right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you keep doing that,” Wooseok hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just guessing!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the lights darkened, and the advertisements started. Some of them were dull, but a few were funny enough that they ended up shoulder to shoulder giggling like children. Wooseok lazily reached into his bucket and grabbed a handful of popcorn. He shoved all the pieces in his mouth at once, not caring at all if the person next to him thought he was garish or not. He tilted the bucket towards Seungyoun so he could grab some too, or at least feel welcome if he wanted. He took a piece between his fingers and popped it into his mouth casually. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun held the box of chocolates towards him, and Wooseok held out his palm to catch a piece.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” he whispered after it rolled out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It makes the popcorn taste better,” he explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok tried the chocolate followed by a piece of popcorn and nodded. “Mhm, it does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few more previews passed, and Wooseok felt himself get sleepy. He let the rest of his weight slump over until they were head to head like this was what they always did together: eat too much popcorn and chocolate and slurp on soda at the movies until someone slipped into a small coma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he leaned in. Wooseok jumped slightly in surprise, and Seungyoun snorted. “Anyone tell you you might wanna lay off on the coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, you startled me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll try not to do it again,” he whispered. Wooseok held back a shiver as his breath tickled his ear. “You know if someone does that and you don’t like it, you can tell them you’re taken by me, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who says I didn’t like it,” Wooseok teased. Seungyoun rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I’m kidding. But you can do the same, you know, if you ever want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re pros at this I think,” he said. Wooseok could feel him staring at him in the dark, studying his face like he had when they met or whenever Wooseok wasn’t looking. He was never as shy with Wooseok as he was with him, but yet he rarely looked at him like that if there was ever a chance of being noticed even if Wooseok always knew it was happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still feeling his gaze, he turned towards him, not realizing they were close enough for their noses to brush together. Their eyes met, and Wooseok couldn’t have pulled away even if he wanted to, but he wasn’t sure that he did. Seungyoun was soft with his bangs pushed to the sides, his mouth swollen slightly from the popcorn salt, and his eyes heavy. He glanced down at Wooseok’s as if he read his mind, and Wooseok’s tongue darted out quickly to wet his lips in anticipation. He wasn’t sure who leaned forward first or if they both drew together at once, but he felt a sharp breath exhale down on his upper lip as they moved closer in that small space that remained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the moment was short lived, interrupted by the loud buzz from his own phone in his pocket against the hard popcorn container. They both pulled away from each other, blinking out of their haze as Wooseok dug his hand in his pocket to stop it. He covered the screen with his hand to see the name without lighting up their row with his phone glow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He answered it quickly and slid down in his seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing,” he whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t figure out where we’re supposed to go,” Seungwoo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go up to the counter and ask for your tickets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The line is really long, and we’re worried they won’t have them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok closed his eyes and banged his head against the back of the chair. “Just stay there at the front, I’ll come get you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hung up the phone and frowned at Seungyoun who was then sitting upright like he was supposed to. “Do you want me to go with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “I’ll go. Can you guard my popcorn?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun’s face changed from concerned to amused again as he laughed at Wooseok’s priorities. “Alright, I’ll guard your snacks for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hurried off, buzzing from head to toe. Truthfully, even though he should have wanted to kill him for the interruption, he was grateful towards Seungwoo for being a grandpa so he could take a moment to compose himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Wooseok made it back into the hall where  no one could see him, he bent over and grabbed his knees and gasped for air. He almost kissed him. He almost kissed Seungyoun. Seungyoun almost kissed </span>
  <em>
    <span>him.</span>
  </em>
  <span> They had played the part so well that they had fooled themselves, and they almost made a terrible mistake. But was it a mistake if he still wanted to?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chest tightened at the thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there wasn’t any time for him to have a crisis in the theater hall because he had to go fetch his ex and his ex’s fiancé because both of them had social anxiety. Wooseok didn’t have much room to talk but it was either deal with his own or sit and wait for Seungyoun to come back, and if Seungyoun came back with a bad expression, Wooseok would have never been able to forgive himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found them at the entrance where they were supposed to be, already with their snacks, all ready to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you get your tickets?” Wooseok asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we did, but we didn’t want to call you in the theatre again,” Seungwoo said. “You sounded a little…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything okay?” Seungsik asked, concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Wooseok almost shouted. “Everything’s fine! It must have been because I was whispering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungwoo looked behind him and frowned. “Then where’s Seungyoun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guarding my popcorn,” he swallowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he laughed. “I was worried you guys were fighting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we’re fine,” Wooseok said, his voice not nearly as convincing as he would have liked. They weren’t fighting at all, Wooseok was just unsettled because of what had almost happened, but Seungwoo’s words made his stomach flip for another reason. It was probably best that they thought he and Seungyoun were fighting because they were supposed to, weren’t they? They had to break up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only then, he no longer wanted to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led them back to the theater while they talked excitedly to each other behind him about the movie, both so blissfully in love from their wedding preparations that they were the film’s target audience. What was Wooseok then? Did he belong there with them, watching a movie about love and romance? Or was the horror movie a few rooms down more appropriate? And would he know the answer before it was too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun waited for them with Wooseok’s ridiculously large bucket of popcorn. The lights had dimmed again since the screen was showing the last few previews, and if he didn’t remember where he was seated, Wooseok (and therefore Seungwoo and Seungsik) would have been lost. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun’s face was shrouded in shadow, only briefly lit in flashes of green and blue making Wooseok all that more nervous as he climbed the steps. When they reached them though, he seemed happy. Was that a </span>
  <em>
    <span>this is how my face is supposed to look around these people</span>
  </em>
  <span> happy or a </span>
  <em>
    <span>there you are</span>
  </em>
  <span> happy? Suddenly nothing was simple anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They exchanged silent greetings as to not disturb any of the other movie goers before all settling back into their seats. Wooseok sat between Seungyoun and Seungwoo, his jaw locked anxiously in place. He looked forward without daring to glance at either man at his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun nudged him with the bucket of popcorn. Wooseok looked back at him in surprise, still slightly afraid, and he offered him a soft smile. Maybe it wasn’t that bad after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The movie started, and he finally relaxed. Between the two of them, the popcorn disappeared rather quickly, but he wasn’t too upset about it because his stomach was too busy knotting up to want more food. They placed the bucket on the floor between them to take out after the movie ended, but the armrest was still left up between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a waiting game, he guessed, to see who would pull it down. If Seungyoun did, he would take that to mean that he thought he did too much. If Wooseok did, it meant that he finally couldn’t take the suspense anymore. If Seungwoo or Seungsik did, that would have just been darn peculiar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited, and Seungyoun never moved it, content to watch the movie without the security of a social barrier. Wooseok, feeling a bit exposed without it, dropped his arm over his own waist so that his hand hung by his hip like his own personal safety belt. He could get through this movie if he just focused on it and not the people to his sides.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His plan worked until he felt a small touch on his finger. He looked down to see Seungyoun hook his around Wooseok’s. He glanced up at him, but Seungyoun focused on the screen. Wooseok twisted his hand until he found his securely and comfortably, and they held onto each other secretly for the rest of the film. This time this simple touch, this small display of affection, was only meant for them, and it was enough to light Wooseok’s whole body on fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every time Seungyoun rubbed his thumb over his skin, a jolt shot through Wooseok’s body followed by a low burn and a stretch of numbness that reached into his chest and squeezed until he had to concentrate to breathe. It was such a little thing that shouldn’t have had that kind of (or any) power over him, and he doubted Seungyoun even realized it himself, but Wooseok was doing everything he could to keep himself calm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was, in itself, alarming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So it seemed that Wooseok liked him. A lot of people liked Seungyoun, that was normal, but not exactly in the way that Wooseok did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he wasn’t sure if that was going to become a problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The movie ended, and Wooseok couldn’t remember anything about it, too hung up on the way Seungyoun’s fingers felt against his skin and how much he liked it. As the group exited the theater wedged between everyone else leaving too, Wooseok found himself reaching for him, but he couldn’t make himself even so much as take his wrist. This was what they were supposed to do, but it felt different somehow. It felt like touching him was against the rules.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was late in the evening by the time the movie ended, and they all lingered lazily outside of the building under a streetlamp near one of the preview posters of a film coming out sometime in the next month. They wouldn’t watch it because it was after the wedding and Seungwoo and Seungsik would be navigating their new lives, and Wooseok and Seungyoun… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was by far the worst thing Wooseok had ever done to himself. In fact, telling the truth from the beginning and having Seungwoo look at him like he was pitiful wouldn’t have been this bad. Actually, that was never that bad at all once he thought about the alternative, and Wooseok was an idiot for not stopping Seungwoo before all of this started because even if he had to explain that he only said he had a boyfriend because he panicked, he would have only been humiliated. He looked at Seungyoun who was talking animatedly to Seungsik about something Wooseok couldn’t hear over the ringing in his own ears and frowned. Now he had to break his own heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He folded his arms over himself and held back a shiver. It wasn’t cold enough for that, but his body didn’t seem to care. He trembled against himself and bit down on his bottom lip until he tasted something metallic, and he focused on that alone until there was a chance to break away and go back to the comfort of his apartment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least Seungyoun looked happy. He was smiling, and laughing, and enjoying the company, and Wooseok couldn’t blame him for not suffering the way he did because it was, after all, a favor in the end. He did his best to not be bitter about it because this was his own problem, but someone was always a little too good about noticing things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you cold?” Seungyoun asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not really,” he said, still holding himself. He huffed and shook his head and stepped behind Wooseok, draping himself over him like he did before, but this time for warmth. He radiated heat, and Wooseok’s muscles relaxed beneath him despite his own determination to not be so affected anymore. Seungyoun seemed to relax too, comfortable enough to drop his weight and wrap his arms around his waist. “I think you just like doing that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” he countered. He turned his attention back to the others who didn’t seem to mind that they were like that, but how could they? They were probably just as bad when they first started dating. Wooseok winced. It was so easy to forget when he was like this. Seungyoun was a thousand times better at this fake boyfriend thing than he was, but he could never admit that out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To distract himself, he looked at Seungwoo and thought how strange it was that it once would have been him who clung onto Wooseok with his nose poking against his ear and his hands tucked into the folds of his sweater, but now one of those same hands was neatly placed on the inside of Seungsik’s arm to keep him from teetering over as he told his story with a little too much excitement, happy to have someone new to hang onto every detail. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun was good at that. He was good at giving attention to whoever needed it, and it never seemed artificial or forced, and Wooseok thought that that was probably because it wasn’t. He turned his head slightly and glanced at the person propped up on his shoulder with a soft smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he asked quietly. “Am I hurting you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Wooseok said, turning back to the others. He put his arms over Seungyoun and hugged himself with him tighter. Seungyoun wasn’t hurting anyone at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually the four had to call it a night because three of them had work in the morning. Seungwoo and Seungsik went in one direction, and Seungyoun and Wooseok went in the other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok walked quietly, staring straight ahead down the street with his hands in his pockets, ignoring how much colder it was with the cars passing by them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was fun,” Seungyoun said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah it was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess that’s probably the last time you’ll run into them for a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok swallowed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Yeah, probably.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed and continued walking next to him. “It was fun, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I liked the movie,” Wooseok lied. He couldn’t remember a single thing about the movie. He could however remember the way the tips of his fingers felt even though his hands were numb from the cold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean,” he started before he took a breath. “Yeah, the movie was fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok nodded, understanding. He wasn’t good at goodbyes either especially when he didn’t want to say them. But this was all too sad wasn’t it? It was making him miserable, and that wasn’t the taste he wanted to leave in either of their mouths.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what is it that you do, late nighter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun laughed brightly. “You sure you wanna know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t I know what my own fake boyfriend does for a living?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You never asked before,” he pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok flushed. “Oops.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” he laughed. “I honestly didn’t want to say because I don’t like talking to people about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes widened. “Oh god, are you, like, a criminal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Seungyoun cried out. “God!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well! You’re the one with the secret nighttime job!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I was a criminal would you go out with me?” He teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And risk being dragged to illegal poker games, dangled in front of all of your unsavory associates like the piece of arm candy I am? Absolutely not!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun snorted. “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t dangle you in front of anybody.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unless you want me to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked at him, forcing back a smile, but Seungyoun didn’t hold back anything, almost sparkling in the way he let himself be as happy as he could bothering Wooseok which seemed to be his favorite pastime. “So, you won’t tell me what you do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s so boring,” he groaned. “Please, you don’t have to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable,” he frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun hummed, looking ahead as they walked together side by side. “Alright, I’ll tell you. It’s not weird or anything I just work in sound, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In sound?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like for movies and tv shows,” he shrugged. “Lately the show we’ve been working on has a short turn around and they film during the day so they send us the audio at night to mix for the final edit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Wooseok said, not having a clue what he was talking about. He could see why people asked him too many questions about it and why he might have been tired of answering them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” he said, nudging him. “Maybe the </span>
  <em>
    <span>reddit post</span>
  </em>
  <span> about the movie audio wasn’t so wrong after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he laughed, his cheeks warming. “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Skeptic,” he said under his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes you just gotta believe,” he shrugged. “No questions, just trust.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you telling me I should trust you and not ask questions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can ask me anything you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then,” Wooseok started, drifting off into a thought. He knew there was something he wanted to ask him, but he couldn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are your favorite colors?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun glanced at him like he wasn’t expecting Wooseok to ask him that, but he didn’t skip a beat. “Orange and blue.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that because of a sports team or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “Those are sunset at the beach colors. My favorite.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ah!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>That made perfect sense especially for him. Everything about him was so well fitting and thoughtful that no one could blame Wooseok for getting attached so easily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They traded easy questions like that for the rest of their walk, neither too much in a hurry to get home. They talked about favorite songs and movies and shows and games, never getting to what Wooseok wanted to ask or be asked, but he knew he was being presumptuous by assuming that Seungyoun wanted what he did so he was happy to spend this last night with him without saying anything that could have caused them both too much stress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was a good friend, and that was going to have to be enough for Wooseok at least until some mythical force intervened and gave them a second chance. They parted ways at Wooseok’s door with the promise to come looking for each other if the other needed something, but that kind of talk was always polite and necessary. It was hard to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>let’s do this again sometime</span>
  </em>
  <span> when the </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>was so complicated. Saying goodbye on these terms was what he needed to leave with his head held high, but god did it suck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>+1</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The time that Wooseok didn’t have to pretend that Seungyoun was his boyfriend came with the realization that he probably never had to pretend he was in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok couldn’t find a reason to seek out Seungyoun. </span>
  <em>
    <span>My dog misses you </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t feel believable, and he already used up </span>
  <em>
    <span>my ex thinks we’re dating</span>
  </em>
  <span> so all he had left was to wait for Seungyoun to come looking for him, but with his birthday already out of the way, Seungyoun didn’t have a reason to seek him out either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few weeks passed without seeing each other, and each day proved to be duller than the last. There was no one to tease him or cling onto him. No one to surprise him or make him laugh. No one to scheme with or look forward to. And each day that passed only made Wooseok miss him more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another weekend came with Wooseok waking up at an unreasonable hour with nothing to do but keep himself occupied. He wandered into the kitchen for his first cup of coffee, but as he brought it to his lips, a distant squeak sent an unwelcome jolt to his stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t Ddadda’s fault. He didn’t know the toy reminded Wooseok of the person who gave it to him, and he didn’t know that reminding Wooseok of him was like making him think of an ex he recently broke up with that he still wasn’t over. Ddadda was a dog. All he knew was how to eat snacks and poop, and by the looks of the snackie bag, he was very good at doing both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok sighed. He supposed that meant it was time to make his five things to do on a Saturday list. One: go get Ddadda more dog treats. Two: check the mail before going in case someone else sent him birthday money too late. Three: do his laundry probably. Four: make an appointment for a haircut. Five: miss Seungyoun. Yep, everything was planned out. All he needed to do was get dressed and go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was too early to bother with his laundry or with making an appointment, so the mailroom seemed to be his best option. He took a few sips from his coffee and set it down on the counter to finish when he got back, assuming there would be mail to drop off along with his hopeful birthday (and dog treats) money.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He headed downstairs to his mailbox with dog snacks and cooling coffee on the brain, but when he made it to the mailroom, he saw that he wasn’t alone. His heart sank as he saw Seungyoun with a bundle of envelopes and junk mail in his arms looking just as good as ever. He opened his mouth to say hello but saw the red airpod wedged in his ear and realized he wouldn’t have heard him no matter what. He swallowed and went to his own box and focused on his task. If Seungyoun said hello, he would too, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself by looking too clingy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he opened the box, he saw that the only thing waiting for him was a small blue envelope that looked too small to be a birthday card but not the right size for a bill either. He pulled it out and his stomach flipped for a different reason once he saw who it was from. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Han Seungwoo &amp; Kang Seungsik</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He was never formally invited to the wedding. The invitations would have been sent months in advance, but Wooseok and Seungwoo hadn’t spoken to each other in so long, he was never meant to be on the list. But they were friends then thanks to the person Wooseok couldn’t look at, but then again, Seungwoo was the kind of person who always respected Wooseok’s wishes so when Wooseok told him that he needed space and time alone, he never came back because that’s what Wooseok wanted even if Seungwoo missed him. Wooseok missed him too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now Seungwoo was going to be happy, and Wooseok was invited to see it in person, but seeing the invitation in his hand made him sad for different reasons. He glanced up at Seungyoun assuming he still hadn’t noticed he was there, but he was staring at him with presumably the same sad expression that Wooseok wore on his own face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey there,” Wooseok forced himself to speak. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun pulled out one of his airpods and stuffed it in his pocket. “Hey, sorry, I didn’t hear you walk in. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no you didn’t,” Wooseok pointed at his own ear. “I figured you wouldn’t have been able to hear me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could have kicked me or something,” he said quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he said, feeling shy. He looked down at the envelope and swallowed before raising it up for him to see. “Seungwoo’s getting married.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I remember,” he laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They invited me,” Wooseok nodded as he looked back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, slightly surprised. “Yeah, of course they would. Oh! Uh, did you need a date then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok shook his head quickly, not wanting to burden him or make him think that’s why he told him. Truthfully, he was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>desperate </span>
  </em>
  <span>to talk to him about anything. “No, that’s okay! You don’t have to worry about that. I was just, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Seungyoun’s face dropped. He swallowed hard enough that Wooseok saw his Adam's apple bob. “I see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s cool now, nothing to worry about,” he waved him off. “I got this one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you found a date then,” he asked, sounding disappointed. “I mean, someone to take with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he shook his head. “Just me. I just don’t wanna, like, drag you to a wedding. You’ve already done so much for me…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun leaned his back against the mailboxes and folded his arms across his chest. “You’re going to go to your ex’s wedding </span>
  <em>
    <span>by yourself?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s eyes shifted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun reached out and grabbed the invitation and flipped it open. “Mhm, mhm, yes, Wooseok, cordially, mhm, yes, invited, okay, aha! There it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Wooseok took the invitation back from him and scanned over it like he had missed something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It says right there you’re supposed to bring a plus one,” he said, pointing like a child.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well it’s not like they won’t let me through the door if I don’t have one!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if they don’t,” he asked, his hands on his hips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok reached out and poked his chest, irritated. “Then I’ll just have to call you then, won’t I!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or,” he half shouted. “We could go together, and then you wouldn’t have to worry about it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay!” Wooseok fully shouted. “We’ll go together then, damn!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok huffed, ready to physically fight him for being so difficult, but right at that moment, an elderly lady walked in to retrieve her own mail, and she looked terribly startled by the yelling. They both bowed slightly to her and quieted down, not wanting to be rude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to go with me,” Wooseok whispered to him while he hovered next to him, pretending to look at their mail together so she wouldn’t be bothered. “I mean, I don’t want you to think I’m using you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him and blinked. “I don’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” he swallowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I mean… if you don’t want </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>to–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” he said quickly. “I wouldn’t ask anyone else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down at his feet and smiled softly. “Is it selfish of me to be happy about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Wooseok looked off. “I mean, you are the best fake boyfriend I’ve ever come across.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not so bad yourself,” he elbowed him. Wooseok snorted and rolled his eyes. So he had one more chance, he thought. They had to make this one count. “Oh, how’s Ddadda? Did he like the toys okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s great! He loves them! The mouse is his favorite though,” he said proudly. “I’m actually about to go run to the store and grab him some treats right after this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun hung his head and twisted his hands together. “Do you want some company?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you tired?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet,” he shook his head. “I mean this is like my 6pm so…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Wooseok said. “I wasn’t sure how that worked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine until, like 2 maybe,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not enough!” He swatted him. “You need to sleep more!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay,” he swatted back. “So bossy and tiny.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>tiny,” Wooseok scowled. “You’re just </span>
  <em>
    <span>large.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you say, bite-sized.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a terrible nickname, and you know it,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you have rather I called you fun-sized?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On second thought…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun giggled and took the invitation from him before settling back against the mailboxes now that they were alone again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seeing if there’s a dress code,” he said, reading it over. “Ah, formal. Makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a suit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” he half sang. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, then we’re all set,” Wooseok said. He twisted his mouth as he gathered the courage for his next question. It wasn’t the one he wanted to ask, but it was the next best thing, and he figured that baby steps were better than none. “So do you want to walk to the store with me then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged casually. “I’ve got time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They went to the store together to get Ddadda some treats, and then they took him for a walk since the weather was nice. The leaves had changed, and it was finally the time of year that inspired long walks shared with someone special, and even though Seungyoun wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wooseok’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>someone special, he was special indeed. That was good enough for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After their walk they shared a meal together, something lazy and greasy and a little too spicy for Seungyoun who kept hissing and whining as he ate even though Wooseok insisted that the chicken he ordered wasn’t spicy at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For their plans, they finally exchanged numbers after several weeks of never getting around to it, and Wooseok texted him probably more than he should have. But Seungyoun sent more memes than he probably should have too so it evened out. Wooseok took care of their RSVP for the wedding, buzzing all over as he did even though poor Seungwoo had no idea what he was so excited about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok didn’t either, really. This wasn’t their first time pretending to be boyfriends, and by all accounts he should have been used to it by then or at the very least, </span>
  <em>
    <span>nervous,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but all common sense was completely thrown away in favor of the excitement that came from going to a wedding with Seungyoun. The strings that came attached he just simply chose to ignore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The afternoon of the wedding came, and someone knocked on Wooseok’s door. Ddadda barked excitedly at their guest, and Wooseok walked towards it after slinging his tie lazily around his neck. He opened the door just enough to peek, and saw Seungyoun already dressed with his hair up like Wooseok liked it, in a tailored suit that made his shoulders look like they were carved from marble, and a pair of glasses perched on his nose that looked real based on the slight warping Wooseok saw from below.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit,” Wooseok accidentally gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah! I’m so early! I’m sorry, I didn’t want my neighbor below to yell at me for pacing again,” he winced. “I hope this is okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” he insisted, glad Seungyoun didn’t notice the drool that had slipped over his lip from gaping so hard. He stepped to the side, careful of Ddadda below them. “Come in! Ddadda, don’t mess up his pants.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s alright,” he laughed. As soon as the door was opened wide enough to see him, Seungyoun froze and gawked at Wooseok openly enough that Wooseok knew he looked just as good as he did. He forced himself to look away and brushed himself off. “Nice place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok snorted, ignoring the fact that he had been there before. “Thank you. Want some coffee or water or something before we go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I’m gonna go figure out how to get this thing on,” Wooseok said, pointing at his neck. “I’ve watched three youtube videos already, but none of them helped.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me get it,” he said, stepping towards him. “I’ve done this a few times.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You go to a lot of weddings?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope, just a few movie premiers,” he muttered as he wrapped the tie around his neck, furrowing his brows in concentration. Wooseok watched him carefully as he fumbled with it. “Sorry, I’ve never done this for another person.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay, I can fig–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled the tie off of Wooseok’s neck and slung it around his own. He did the first couple of folds loosely before pulling it off and slipping it back over Wooseok’s head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There we go,” he said quietly. His fingers went to Wooseok’s neck to tuck the half tied tie under his collar, and Wooseok tried his best not to shiver, but he wasn’t sure he was managing well. He then slipped the knot up for him loose enough that Wooseok could adjust it himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Wooseok said. He glanced at his mouth, his whole body tingling all over, but the voice in the back of his head reminded him that things hadn’t changed. “Uh, I’ve gotta go run and brush my teeth, and then we can go, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” he nodded and stepped back. “I’ll be here with Ddadda if you need anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok laughed nervously and ran off to his bathroom. He shut the door behind him and slumped down onto the floor. Seungyoun looked like a model, and Wooseok wanted to make him look less like a model.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god,” he said quietly to himself. “I think I’d drink that man’s bathwater if he asked me to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at himself in the mirror and scowled in disgust. “Get it together, Wooseok, that’s gross.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded and took a few deep breaths so that he didn’t get too overwhelmed. He looked like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He smelled even better, and he already had the best personality in the whole world. If Wooseok didn’t already like him, he would have immediately fallen for him the moment he slipped the tie over his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, he’s perfect,” he whispered. “My fake boyfriend is going to outshine literally everyone I’ve ever met in my life, and for what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He put his head in his hands and fake sobbed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“For me. He did this for me. And now I’m gonna die alone.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed himself up and straightened his back. He looked just as good as Seungyoun did, and he just had to tell himself that they were going as a sexy and fabulous power couple and that this wasn’t in any way meant to make him suffer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when he looked like that…</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Get it together, Wooseok. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He brushed his teeth and returned to find Seungyoun on the floor rolling around with Ddadda. The first thought was that it was adorable, but then he thought that it probably wasn’t a good idea to go covered in dog hair. Seungyoun stood up as soon as he saw him, and Wooseok immediately started brushing him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Is it that bad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The cotton ball sheds,” he offered as he swiped his hands over him. “Turn around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned around and lifted his arms up to his sides like he was getting patted down at the airport. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All good,” Wooseok said once he finished. “Ready to go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m ready if you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok nodded, but a surge of nerves crept up on him from out of nowhere. Was he ready?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They left together and walked down to the parking garage where Seungyoun’s car was. Wooseok didn’t have a problem getting in that time, already a professional at getting into cars without freezing in place just from seeing the make and model, and he pulled up the location on the GPS without being asked. The wedding was held at a hotel downtown, and Seungyoun vaguely knew the area or at least how to get them close enough before they needed to be able to hear the instructions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok settled into the seat like he was preparing for a long flight, and Seungyoun pulled out of his parking space, humming a song Wooseok didn’t recognize. He turned slightly to watch him, studying the curve of his profile and the way he pouted in concentration. The hoops that usually dangled from his ears were replaced with two small studs that weren’t so easily noticed, and he kind of missed the dangly ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look nice,” Wooseok said quietly, the words slipping out on their own even though they were meant to be hidden in his own thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes flickered down slightly, but he kept his attention on the road. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You always look nice,” he mumbled to himself quietly enough that Seungyoun couldn’t hear over the low roar of tires beneath them. He turned his attention out the passenger side window as the car bounced down onto the street. It was a gray mid afternoon, just gloomy enough to be the kind of day one normally spent wrapped up in a blanket with something warm to drink, but somehow it was also just as nice for an autumnal wedding spent with people he liked and hopefully also with warm things to drink. If there wasn’t any hot tea or cider to be found, he was going to be very disappointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you thinking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, like gossip?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Wooseok laughed. “The kind you drink.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I need to find a starbucks or something on the way there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No thanks, I just hope they have something. Don’t you think this is hot tea weather?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That and a big warm blanket,” he mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you a snuggler?” Wooseok teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course! Why would I have been blessed with such long arms if not to share them with someone else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>god,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he groaned in absolute disgust, surely not thinking of being that person he shared them with, and he absolutely did not smile to himself because he was thinking about curling up against his chest and falling asleep tucked away in the warmth he radiated.  No, that wasn’t on Wooseok’s mind at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your loss,” he sighed dramatically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked at him and shook his head. “You are unbelievable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yet you still asked me to go with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I ask?” Wooseok feigned surprise. “Was that what happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t say I invited myself, it’ll hurt my feelings,” he pouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you did– </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> invite yourself,” he corrected himself, seeing the pout on his lips and the sparkle in his eye. “You are my date who I am bringing on purpose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun laughed loudly and happily. “You’re so convincing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just kidding,” he poked him. “I’m glad you’re going with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” he nodded. “Now you just have to give me the rundown on all of your friends so I know who I’m supposed to impress and who we’re avoiding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got it,” Wooseok said seriously. Things were back to business as usual, and he already felt safe and comfortable because of it. If he had gone alone he would have been bombarded with too many questions he couldn’t answer, or worse, he might not have had anyone to talk to the whole time he was there. Seungyoun always talked to him and never about anything that he didn’t like even if it was a hard subject for Wooseok to speak about with most people. “Okay so we’ll probably see my and Seungwoo’s university friends, Jinhyuk and Byungchan. They’re who we have to be on our guard around. Everyone else will probably think it's too weird that I’m there to even talk to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too weird, huh?” Seungyoun raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t even invited until like a week ago, remember,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” his mouth curled back into a grimace. “My bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m guessing you and I will have to keep each other entertained somehow,” he continued, not wanting to linger too much on the ghosts of the past that didn’t exactly haunt him the way everyone else thought they might have. The only complication at that point was how much Seungwoo and Seungsik liked Seungyoun to the point that Wooseok accidentally became a part of their lives, but that was better than anyone having negative feelings he supposed. “Unless you accidentally make friends with everyone there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun giggled. “Who, me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok glanced at him. “Who else could I </span>
  <em>
    <span>possibly</span>
  </em>
  <span> be talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled to himself, content. “I don’t see a problem here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There isn’t. I was just trying to guess what might happen when we get there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything is possible,” he half sang. “Don’t worry, we’ll have fun. It’ll be great.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spent the rest of the ride going over their plan which was to keep to themselves for the most part. They’d stay for the reception, but leave once the first 25 percent of people or so left so that it wouldn’t seem like a dramatic exit. Seungyoun couldn’t drink because he was driving, and Wooseok wasn’t sure if it was an open bar, but he imagined if he let himself have more than a glass of champagne for the toast, he would accidentally get carried away and crawl into Seungyoun’s lap. That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> the way he wanted to cement their friendship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon they arrived at the venue and handed the car off to another valet. It was all too fancy and serious and something Wooseok wasn’t used to. He still got nervous seeing Seungyoun give someone else his car keys, but if Seungyoun was fine with it, Wooseok couldn’t complain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” Wooseok nodded. He felt a shiver from somewhere distant. He wasn’t sure why he was nervous. It wasn’t even his wedding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked in together, this time not hand in hand like they had before, and Wooseok almost reached out for him, but he noticed Seungyoun’s hands were hidden in his pockets. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. I guess we’re not doing that anymore</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He felt a sad pang. It wasn’t like it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>required</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it had made him feel a little safer and braver before so it was something he looked forward to. He supposed there wouldn’t be any </span>
  <em>
    <span>draping </span>
  </em>
  <span>this time either, but of course that wasn’t appropriate in that location. They needed to act like mature adults and not love sick teenagers even if they weren’t either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But still, Wooseok would have liked to have his hand held again. At least to calm his nerves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their first stop once inside was to a guestbook with a fancy fountain pen. Wooseok signed his name and gestured for Seungyoun to sign his as well. He was their friend too, after all, included and expected to be there with Wooseok. Wooseok then pulled out an envelope from his coat’s breast pocket filled with a little bit of money for the happy couple and handed it to one of Seungwoo or Seungsik’s relatives sitting on the other side of the guestbook. Seungyoun did the same, and Wooseok hadn’t even realized they both brought money.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m really bad at picking out gifts for people,” he mused as they walked away from anyone who could hear. “Like if you didn’t have a dog, I would have been screwed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did great,” he shrugged. “The cake was delicious, by the way. I wish you had stayed and ate it with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was it? I’ll be sure to go there again next time. I’m sorry I left so quickly, I didn’t want to get in the way of you and your friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could have stayed,” Wooseok said. “I mean, you’re my friend too, but I can understand feeling awkward around a group of people you don’t know. Maybe next time it’ll be different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe. Hey not to be nosy, but what did they give you? You know, so I have an idea for next year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok laughed and forced a smile. “A panini press.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you… not like paninis?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My dude, I do not know how to cook.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun erupted with a high pitch laugh that might have startled someone if there had been anyone else nearby. “Alright so the mystery for what to get Wooseok as a present remains unsolved. And thankfully you can just bring money to weddings and no one gets their feelings hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I didn’t know what to get them either. Matching toothbrush holders?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They might already have matching toothbrush holders,” he muttered to Wooseok’s amusement. “God, you really have to like someone a lot to be like that, don’t you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seems like it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you were to match with someone, how would you do it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think something low key,” he considered. “Jewelry maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you wear matching orange tracksuits with me,” Seungyoun fluttered his eyelashes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok laughed and swatted at him. “No! I would not!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we’d look cute,” he teased, enjoying how much he aggravated Wooseok.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you do,” he scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun nudged him as they walked through the hotel towards the garden where the ceremony was meant to take place. There were signs placed around the halls to lead them to it so they wouldn't get lost or go somewhere they weren’t supposed to, he guessed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they stepped outside, they saw rows and rows of white seats with dark blue cushions that were already mostly filled up by the other guests. Lights were strung up overhead, and there was just enough tulle to make it look like a wedding without going overboard. It was nice and simple, and they somehow managed to enhance the landscape of the small garden without either being barren or gaudy. No wonder it was all they could talk about. This was something to brag about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok scanned the backs of heads and profiles for anyone who might have looked familiar. Jinhyuk he saw was on Seungwoo’s side a few rows back from Seungwoo’s parents, but Byungchan on the other hand was on Seungsik’s side. Strange, he thought, but of course it was a small world so maybe Byungchan was closer to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok and Seungyoun went to Seungwoo’s side and sat towards the back so that they wouldn’t take up space meant for someone who was originally supposed to be there. That wasn’t a thought he wanted to have, but maybe it wasn’t that he wasn’t invited but that Seungwoo didn’t know how to get in touch with him until then. Or it was because he thought Wooseok hated him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay,” Seungyoun leaned towards him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were frowning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry, yeah, I’m good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just checking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached out and took Wooseok’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Wooseok exhaled in relief. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Finally.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But then he let go and rested his hands in his lap as he looked around, and Wooseok felt himself pout. That wasn’t enough handholding at all. Seungyoun had to know that, but maybe he didn’t want to. Maybe he was tired of playing along, but could Wooseok blame him? He didn’t like faking it either and neither one of them were dishonest people so he let it go, resigning to just being friendly like they were when they were alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon the music started, and it was time to focus. No one stood at the altar waiting for the other to come to him. Instead, they both entered from the sides in their suits, and for some reason Wooseok couldn’t watch. This was it. This was happening. Wooseok’s ex was getting married to the love of his life, and Wooseok had to watch it happen with his nice neighbor who for some reason had committed to getting him through this like he was in a strange dream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a nice ceremony. They wrote their own vows, and Seungwoo proved himself to be a cry baby, blubbering as he poured his heart out like no one else was there to hear him. Wooseok heard a sniffle to his right and glanced over to see Seungyoun wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. He smiled to himself. Another cry baby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When it was over they moved to one of the banquet rooms where they were seated with some people Wooseok didn’t recognize. He was so happy that Seungyoun was there with him that he could have cried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The menu had a choice of duck or salmon, and Wooseok and Seungyoun guessed that Seungwoo and Seungsik could never make a decision in the end for which one was better, but Wooseok noticed that the microgreen salad had been replaced with a sweet potato risotto that neither of them were quite too sure about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They minded their own business until the food came, and then it was time to eat. Wooseok glanced at Seungyoun’s plate and frowned. “Didn’t you want to try the salmon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Duck is fine,” he shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should taste mine then,” he offered before sliding his plate towards him. Seungyoun raised his eyebrow. “It’s our last chance to know if you like it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no that’s so sad! Is the restaurant closing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I mean we won’t–,” Wooseok stopped himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at him and twisted his mouth. “Why not? Is there a law that says we can’t go back? Did Seungsik ban us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he laughed. “I just meant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun nodded and reached his fork out. “Let me try it then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Wooseok slid his plate away. “You’ll have to order your own next time!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun scrunched his nose and swiped a piece from the corner anyway. Wooseok gasped. “See what I said about stealing a piece of fish from a hungry cat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You know what.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here try mine before it gets cold,” he said. “There’s some kind of berry sauce though this time, I don’t know if you’ll like it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it bad?” Wooseok asked, cautious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s just not mind-numbingly spicy like you like your food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” he scoffed before stealing a piece of Seungyoun’s duck. Seungyoun smirked playfully, pleased with himself for once again being annoying. Both tried each other’s food and chewed slowly, deciding which was better. “What do you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun hummed and tilted his head. “A bit lemony, isn't it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’d say so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s good to me. What do you think about the duck?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s kind of, hmm, buttery?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that sounds about right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With curiosity satisfied, they both went back to their own plates and did not get the dueling forks back out until it was time for dessert, and then it was war.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That looks good,” Seungyoun eyed the hot brownie on Wooseok’s plate with the melting scoop of ice cream on top. Wooseok looked at him with a mischievous smile before drizzling over the hot caramel sauce that it was served with. He smacked his lips, watching his hand hover over the plate. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It does look good, doesn’t it,” Wooseok cooed. “You know what else looks good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes traveled to Seungyoun’s hot apple crumble. Seungyoun slid his plate back away like they were conducting a deal. “It does, doesn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” he smiled. “I would be willing to trade a bite.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For what,” he swallowed, eyes locked on Wooseok’s brownie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok slid his plate away. “Well, that remains to be seen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wooseok, the ice cream is melting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, you have to hurry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s my brownie, maybe I want to eat it after it melts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t do this. You have to eat it before it melts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I? Okay,” he said. He dug his spoon down, peeling off a bite-sized amount of the ice cream with the edge before breaking off some of the brownie. He brought it to his lips and closed his eyes and sank into his chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it good?” Seungyoun leaned forward. With his eyes still closed, he nodded like it was the best food he’d ever had in his life. “You can’t do this to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok rolled his head towards him and opened one of his eyes. “I’m just kidding you can eat it. If i eat too much sugar I get crazy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank god,” he said, exasperated. He dug into Wooseok’s dessert as modestly as he could before trying the brownie that had him in a trance. “Oh that is really good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah it is,” he sat up, acting like a normal person again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, you eat this,” he said, sliding over his own crumble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you passing it off?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but you looked like you wanted it,” Seungyoun said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok shrugged and they switched, and he was glad he did. Somehow they had managed to ignore the whole wedding reception around them other than the toasts in favor of swapping plates like they were a team of food critics. He even forgot at some point that they weren’t the only two people at the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My husband and I used to be like that,” an elderly woman said, startling them both. She wore a soft smile like their playing hadn’t bothered her at all, but Wooseok still felt ashamed for being so childish around other people. “How long have you two been together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not long,” Seungyoun answered for him, an instinct at that point. They had mastered the art of </span>
  <em>
    <span>not lying</span>
  </em>
  <span> during their drives and walks back and forth to places when they were alone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Together </span>
  </em>
  <span>could have been interpreted to mean in the same place. So the answer was about two hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you meet,” she leaned forward, invested in a youthful romance that would be pieced together right before her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He dropped all of his mail one day at my feet,” Wooseok answered that time with the honest truth. “We live in the same building.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s lovely,” she smiled warmly. “How do you know the couple?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun looked at Wooseok who now faced the question he was most worried about. If he answered for him though, it would look strange so this was on Wooseok. “Ah, Seungwoo and I used to date in school.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” She blinked. It was the look of surprise that he dreaded, but it wasn’t so bad. He had Seungyoun there after all as a buffer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re good friends,” Wooseok added. It was kind of true, maybe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow, glancing at Seungyoun who thankfully chimed in for Wooseok’s sake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The four of us met up a few weeks ago actually,” he said. “They’ve been so excited about the wedding that it makes me want to have one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her face lit up with joy, and she clapped eagerly. “Oh goodness, aren’t you the cutest! Oh dear, I’m just beside myself!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stood up happily and headed off to somewhere Wooseok wasn’t sure of, still laughing as she went. Wooseok looked at Seungyoun like he had lost his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did I say about us getting fake married,” he whispered sharply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It worked, didn’t it,” he hissed back. “Eat my crumble before it gets cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok paused and glanced at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Bossy.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want me to eat it for you?” Seungyoun blinked, locking his jaw like it was a threat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Wooseok stuck his tongue out. He reached for his glass of water and swished it bitterly around his mouth. His partner went off script, and now had the nerve to tell Wooseok to eat his dessert? Did he get this much audacity on sale or did it come free with his personality? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sharing desserts was complicated, but it was even more complicated when both parties were busy jabbing forks at the other passive aggressively. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The final toasts came which was a good enough distraction. Seungwoo and Seungsik were brought up to the stage to say some nice words to their friends and family. He didn’t feel like so much of an imposter then seeing them standing there without so much formality. Of course he belonged there. He was their friend too. They had dinner and went to the movies together. Wooseok glanced at Seungyoun who was turned around to pay attention. It was all because of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok felt himself soften and turned his attention back to the couple. Their words went unnoticed as he buzzed from head to toe with a new wave of warmth. Seungyoun had done so much for him for no reason or benefit to himself at all, and it meant the world to Wooseok. He was a good person, he knew that much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the speech, the guests were welcome to socialize or keep eating or whatever they wanted, and a band set up in the corner on the opposite side of a laid out dancefloor started playing a song encouraging everyone to get up and shake off their dinners or start drinking enough to want to dance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The happy couple was pushed out into the center for everyone to watch their first dance with their new life, clumsy and full of too much love to care if they looked silly or not. Wooseok wanted to dance too. He wanted to be that happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Next were the dances with their parents, and a few other guests joined them, and he watched as he ate bites of their shared desserts, caramel and chocolate smeared on both plates, buzzing from the sugar that pulsed through his veins. If Seungyoun thought Wooseok’s coffee habit was bad, he had another thing coming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The song switched to something more upbeat, and Wooseok caught himself bobbing along to the tune, tapping his foot on the floor in rhythm. This was his kind of song.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna dance?” Seungyoun laughed, watching Wooseok enjoy himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s head shifted from side to side. “No, I’m good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, fancy pants,” he stood up. He took Wooseok’s hand and pulled him up to his feet. “You should dance at a wedding, and I’m scared if you keep vibrating in your seat, you’ll figure out how time travel works.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok bobbed his head to the music defiantly. “You can’t stop me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun continued to pull Wooseok towards the music, shaking his head. “We’re dancing now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he smiled sheepishly as he finally let himself be pulled completely into his friend’s arms as they found their place on the dancefloor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok had never heard this kind of music before. It was like old school swing music with a modern electronic twist. Maybe he had figured out time travel after all because the next thing he knew, he was somewhere in the past under gas lamps with a staunch liquor on his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun was there just as he was in the present, tall and beautiful and all smiles and sunlight. Wooseok had fallen for him or at least a version of him had somewhere long ago in the past. But then he was the real Seungyoun, unafraid to dance like a fool to make Wooseok smile, twirling him around and urging Wooseok to twirl him too, and it seemed that the version of Wooseok who danced at his friends’ wedding after eating too many sweets had fallen for him too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They danced and laughed until Wooseok was out of breath, his legs aching as they carried him through the music, but then it stopped and he was wrapped in Seungyoun’s arms mid-laugh when it changed to a slow song.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stepped back and looked down, embarrassed at himself for getting carried away so easily, but Seungyoun pulled him back, no longer as giddy as they both were moments ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One more,” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This,” Wooseok looked around at the real couples around him knowing what an imposter he was. Wasn’t letting himself go that far too selfish? Could he even dare?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he pulled Wooseok’s arms around his waist. “Scared of a little slow dance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little,” he swallowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled him closer to his chest as he rocked them back and forth, and Wooseok didn’t once try to stop him. “Everyone should dance like this at someone’s wedding. It’s in the rules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What rules,” Wooseok laughed quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, just the super important wedding guest rules,” he tried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seems suspicious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just this one time with me,” he asked, sounding as sad as Wooseok had felt too many times since they met, and so they danced this one time together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok rested against his shoulder and let himself be held just this once. Seungyoun tilted his head against his and exhaled deeply, a hollow and empty sound but weighted with too much. Wooseok squeezed his eyes shut as his chest tightened. He never knew dancing with someone could hurt so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The song went on forever as their movements slowed to something close to standing, but he couldn’t make himself do more than that, afraid that time might move faster if he did, and then he would have to stop. They would both have to stop. This thing, whatever it was, this was as much as he could take, and it wasn’t fair to have to hurt like this for stolen moments that were selfish of him to want or enjoy in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every second with Seungyoun had been selfish even from the beginning, and it was finally time to pay the price for lying and for juggling something as dangerous as his own heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok couldn’t do it anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The song ended, and he pushed himself away as the lump formed in his throat. He turned and left without an explanation, and Seungyoun didn’t stop him, too stunned from being abandoned without so much as a warning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok walked out of the reception hall in long strides, grabbing a flute of champagne off of a tray as he left. He wasn’t sure where he was going, maybe he was going home, but he ended up back in the garden, and fortunately it was empty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tilted the glass back and gulped down the contents knowing it wouldn’t do enough to numb him, but the action felt good. He just needed about fifteen more to completely forget the last three hours had happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wooseok?” He let out a breath and wiped his mouth. “Where did you go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need a minute,” he said too harshly, but maybe that was what he needed. A good reality check for them both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he said, sounding hurt. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok laughed and pressed his arms against his own forehead in distess. “How can I be okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Seungyoun didn’t answer, Wooseok continued. “How could anyone be okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wooseok,” he said softly, approaching him carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallowed and shook his head, tears stinging his eyes. “This was a bad idea like we both knew it was really fucking stupid, but now I think I’m so used it that I really screwed up here, okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wooseok, what’s going on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not real,” he heard his own voice shake, and that was all it took to start breaking. “It’s not real, but I want it to be, and it sucks, but I just need a minute so I can stop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stepped forward and put his hands on Wooseok’s shoulders, studying his face in the dark in search of an answer. It wouldn’t come because Wooseok wasn’t making any sense, but it </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Everything hurt, and he couldn’t get the right words out. Wooseok was so confused that he lost his ability to detach himself from what they were and what they pretended to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook as his thoughts shattered and small gasps for airs turned into sobs, and nothing made sense, but one thought rang out louder than the others. Finally, the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not mine,” he managed to say to try to come to his senses. His voice came out shrill and small, and it wasn’t the declaration he meant for himself, but a cry for help instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no,” he wailed pitifully. He grabbed Wooseok and pulled him back to his chest. He craned down and kissed his cheek lovingly as he stroked the back of his head to calm him down. “No, no, no, I’m right here. Please don’t be upset. We don’t have to do anything else. We can go home, okay? We can go see Ddadda.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked up at the night sky above while his knees buckled beneath him, and the only thing keeping him on his feet was Seungyoun’s arm behind his back. He closed his eyes and forced himself to stand up, but his fists clenched Seungyoun’s shirt too tightly to consider stepping away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t do this,” he half whispered. “I need to stop myself because I keep forgetting it isn’t real, but I can’t anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shh,” he said, still soothing him as his body quivered pathetically. He held Wooseok closer, stroking the back of his head and leaving small kisses where his mouth fell because it was all he could do, but Wooseok was inconsolable. It would have been better if he told him straightforwardly that Wooseok was doing too much, but he was too nice for that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok closed his eyes, blinking back a new wave of tears, ready to do it for him. “It’s not real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun paused for a moment and took a haggard breath that sounded like he was close to breaking too. “Why can’t it be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked up at him, startled enough that he could finally compose himself. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we both want to,” he started, avoiding eye contact with him, but even then, Wooseok could see the tears that welled up that he was trying so hard to keep from letting out. “I don’t see why it can’t be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean if we both do,” he said. His heart pounded in his chest and every breath burned as he clung onto every word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean,” he said quietly. “If you want to, and I want to, there’s no reason we can’t, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok stepped back so he could look at him better, still confused and trying his best to understand. “What do you mean you want to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed awkwardly and scratched his head. “I can’t really put it in better words, but like… you’re… kind of it for me, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you say anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tried… a lot… and then it seemed like you didn’t want to… so I just decided to wait until you maybe changed your mind if I did a good job at the whole fake boyfriend thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok blanched. “When? How? How did I do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahhhh, well, you know, um, after the dinner, uh, something about it not being a date because… or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not a date because a date is something you actually want to be on.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><span>Wooseok’s stomach sank.</span> <span>He couldn’t believe he said that to him of all people. He couldn’t believe he might have hurt him and never realized it, and Seungyoun just took it and never said anything and pretended like it never happened while doing everything Wooseok wanted because he too had to remember it wasn’t real. </span></p><p>
  <span>“I meant you,” Wooseok explained. “I mean, I was trying to keep things about business so I wouldn’t act like an idiot and, uh, do exactly what I’m doing right now. I was trying to remind myself that you were just doing me a favor so I wouldn’t get too carried away. But I got carried away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay,” he looked down. “I got carried away too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok took a breath and composed himself. “So what do you want to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are my options?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really know,” he said, wiping a remaining streak of tears from his face. “I can’t think so good right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun laughed and walked towards one of the garden benches. He patted the seat next to him, and Wooseok followed. He took one of Wooseok’s hands and ran his thumb over the top as he thought. That alone was enough to make Wooseok feel better again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Option one, or my guess at least, is we take a minute to calm down, and we go back inside like nothing happened, and then do like we always do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok nodded and listened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Option two, maybe, we fake a fight, and then one of us leaves, and the deal is over, and we can figure out how to be friends again once we both move on however long that takes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok winced at that one, but he let him finish before telling him he hated it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Option three,” he started, but he couldn’t finish. “I’m sorry, I want to, but I can’t say it without thinking I’m going to scare you off. Like, I’ve tried a lot, but I can’t do it, but I really, really, really, want to. Why can’t I say it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok moved closer to him and kissed him once on the cheek. “Does option three let me do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he said quietly, turning to face him. “All the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok looked at him and his beautiful perfect face, and all of his feelings came rushing up to the surface. That single touch of his own lips to cheek was enough to break down that last barrier that had kept him from him too many times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s heart jumped as he let himself kiss him finally after wanting to ever since they first met. It was soft at first, but then the feeling of dragging his bottom lip over Seungyoun’s was too intoxicating. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun’s hands went to his jaw to anchor him as he peppered him with a soft array of pecks around the shape of Wooseok’s mouth. He had waited a long time for this too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok slid his arms around his neck to pull him closer as their heads tilted into each other, deepening the kiss that made every nerve in his body tingle. Seungyoun’s hands slid over his cheeks softly, and Wooseok parted his mouth slightly as he caught his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We,” Seungyoun started. Wooseok kissed him again hungrily before letting him finish. He slumped back against the back of the bench and caught his breath in a haze before speaking again. “Option three. We be together like we’re supposed to be, in my humble opinion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that your opinion?” Wooseok laughed. “When did you form this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first time? In the mail room,” he said. “When you were in your pajamas and you tried to make small talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok’s cheeks burned. “Oh god.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And then again when you were trying to pantomime behind Seungwoo at the grocery store with your little bag of pretzels in your arms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no,” he winced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And then when you wouldn’t get in my car,” he considered. “And then when you brought me snacks and told me I couldn’t have them. And then–.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok covered his mouth with his hand to stop him from speaking. He couldn’t take anymore, the humiliation eating him alive. Seungyoun blinked at him and mumbled against his hand, having one more thing to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if it wasn’t real, I was happy,” he said. “I never wanted to do too much because it was never about me, and I tried my best not to get in too deep, but I… well, I’ll always respect your wishes, but I want you to know that I really hope you consider letting me be a part of your future.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok smiled at him, warm and soft and full of a new kind of joy that came from getting to be the person he pretended he was. A future without Seungyoun wasn’t even on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want the option that lets me get to be with you for a long time,” Wooseok said. “I don’t think I can handle option one anymore, but if you’re okay with it, I would like to try three this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That works for me,” he smiled. He leaned forward and kissed Wooseok on the corner of his mouth before standing up. “You ready to go back or do you want to go home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we sit here for a minute?” Wooseok reached up for his hand and pulled him back. “I want my face to go back to normal before I go give Seungwoo my best wishes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, we can sit.” He sat bad down next to him, and Wooseok took his hand to hold as much as he wanted to. “It’s a nice evening, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Wooseok agreed. “Good blanket weather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun rested his head on Wooseok’s shoulder and sighed. “Do you think they’ll get mad if we steal one of the hotel blankets off of a cart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe one of our own would be better,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You never got your hot tea,” he added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coffee would have worked too.” Seungyoun looked at him like Wooseok had said something ridiculous. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After all that sugar you just had? And you want coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying I act different when I have sugar or coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wrapped his arms around Wooseok’s shoulders and squeezed. “I’m saying maybe just a warm glass of milk this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok grumbled quietly as he snuggled up in his arms. “You’re lucky I like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am lucky,” he said, kissing him again in the center of his forehead. Wooseok’s body tingled all over as his body melted into him, and Seungyoun was happy to hold him up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok sighed against him and breathed him in. He was still so overwhelmed, but Seungyoun seemed to be his best grounding force, and thankfully they were comfortable enough from their few fraudulent affections that Wooseok was able to hold onto him for as long as he wanted until his heart settled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we go home,” he whispered, drained but content. Seungyoun exhaled slowly and nodded. He looked as tired as Wooseok felt, and Wooseok didn’t need to ask why. If he hadn’t said anything, they would have… Wooseok tilted his head up to give him one more kiss on the curve of his jaw as a small thanks for never giving up on him. “Do you wanna come over and watch a movie, maybe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed, brightening back up to normal. “Are you hitting on me, Kim Wooseok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Wooseok wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not again,” Seungyoun groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You got a boyfriend?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I do, thanks,” he scrunched his nose. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sir</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You look like the kinda guy I could watch a movie with.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungyoun let out a noise of disgust before planting a kiss on the top of Wooseok’s head. “I am the guy you’re watching a movie with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wooseok giggled happily as they both stood up and stretched so they could go inside and tell Seungwoo and Seungsik goodbye. One day, if things went well, they would tell them the truth and what really happened for those couple of months that Wooseok and Seungyoun pretended to be dating, and he would tell them that is was at their wedding that things finally fell into place like they were supposed to, but for a short time at least, it remained Wooseok and Seungyoun’s best kept secret (except for Ddadda who probably knew how things would turn out for them even from the beginning).</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you made it to the end, thank you so much for reading! OP, I don’t think I followed instructions very well, but I hope this made you happy!</p><p>ps i cant believe wooseok revealed he had a new dog the day after i posted this to the collection i’m sick</p></blockquote></div></div>
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